Abstract:
Puntius chola (sensu lato) Hamilton 1822, (family Cyprinidae) is a widely
distributed fish species in the Asian region. The recent taxonomic revision
of the genus Puntius revived the name Puntius thermalis (sensu stricto)
Valenciennes 1844 for Sri Lankan specimens previously identified as
Puntius chola. The use of DNA barcoding for the identification of species is
now widely recognized, and a large number of taxonomic studies have used
mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene sequences to delineate
fish species. The objective of this study was to use DNA barcoding to
clarify taxonomic status of Puntius chola (s.l.) in Sri Lanka. DNA
sequences of the partial mitochondrial COI gene region were produced, and
alignment based comparisons were made with additional COI sequences for
Indian P. chola and two selected out-group cyprinid taxa available from the
Genbank. According to the derived phylogenetic tree, P. chola in Sri Lanka
(4 locations) is clearly separated from Indian P. chola. The divergence
levels between Sri Lankan and Indian P. chola ranged from 2.2% to 14.9%.
There were no significant phylogenetic differences found among Sri Lankan
P. chola sequences. It provides evidence for the presence of genetically
diverged phylogenetic species in Sri Lanka closely related to the Indian
taxon, and substantiates the recent taxonomic revival of the name Puntius
thermalis for the Sri Lankan taxon. Further morphological studies with type
specimens of Indian P. chola will be important to clarify these findings
