Molecular identification and phylogenetic relationship of flying fishes of Tamil Nadu coast for fishery management purposes.

The partial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial gene were analysed for developing species specific molecular signatures and phylogenetic relationship among the commercially important flying fishes (Cheilopogon cyanopterus, Cheilopogon furcatus and Hirundichthys coromandelensis) distributed in Tamil Nadu coast. Accurate identification of these species is important for fishery management as its morphological characters are very similar. Since the morphological features are very similar, accurate identification using molecular tools is essential for sustainable utilization and management of these species across their distributional range. The estimated transition/transversion bias (R) is 3.45. The average nucleotide sequences calculated were A = 30.00%, T/U = 26.40%, C = 17.00% and G = 26.60%. Using COI data analysis, the intraspecies genetic distance ranged from 0.00 to 0.05, while it varied from 0.06 to 0.08 for interspecies. Partial sequences of the genes provided sufficient phylogenetic information to distinguish the three flying fishes indicating the usefulness of mtDNA-based approach in species identification.