Stock discrimination of Barilius vagra (Hamilton, 1822) (Teleostei: Danionidae) inhabiting the Alaknanda and Chenab River basins of India using mitochondrial COI gene

Barilius vagra is an important freshwater fish found in the streams of hilly region of the Indian Himalaya consumed by local inhabitants. Genetic characterization of B. vagra was done using COI gene sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA). The COI gene of 18 individuals collected from two geographically isolated river basins of Indian Himalaya was sequenced. 18 sequences having more than 640 base pairs of B. vagra revealed the nucleotide diversity to be 0.00169 and 0.00330, respectively, from the Alaknanda and Chenab River basins. The haplotype gene diversity was found to be 0.806 and 0.833 for B. vagra from the two river basins, respectively. The maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree revealed the presence of two separate genetic stocks of B. vagra from the Alaknanda and Chenab River basins. The results of the present study suggested that the geographically isolated populations of B. vagra have developed significant divergence amidst the basins. This information would be useful for planning effective management strategies for conservation of hill trouts.