TITLE:
Morphological and Genetic Differentiation of Fish of the Subgenus Chrysichthys chrysichthys from Ivorian Rivers
AUTHORS:
Tionrotia Alice Sita, Abouo Beatrice
KEYWORDS:
Chrysichthys, Morphological, Characterization, Mitochondrial DNA, Genetic Diversity
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.13 No.8,
August
23,
2023
ABSTRACT: Fish of the Chrysichthys genus are
subject to intense exploitation, which is threatening the available stock. The implementation
of a sustainable resource management plan requires a good knowledge of the biodiversity
of this genus. The aim of this study was to determine the morphological and genetic
characteristics of the fish of the subgenus Chrysichthys
chrysichthys in order to identify descriptors for differentiating the species
of this subgenus present in C?te d’Ivoire. The biometric analysis involved forty-one
morphological measurements taken from each of the 255 specimens sampled in five
hydro systems. The genetic analysis of the D-loop mitochondrial DNA sequence was carried out
in 34 specimens. The amplicons obtained by PCR were subjected to sequencing. Individual
analysis of morphometric characters divided the subgenus into two different species: C. maurus and C. auratus. The high classification rate (>90%) of the Discriminant
Factor Analysis confirmed the existence of these two species. Wilk’s Lambda
test revealed thirteen discriminating descriptors. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed
the existence of both species. Within the C.
maurus species, fish from the river Bia are genetically different from those
from other rivers. On the other hand, this population is fairly close to that of
the C. auratus species, which is also
divided into two different clades. Finally, molecular analysis corrected the taxonomic
status of the fish.