A Comprehensive Analysis of (Kessler, 1874) Mitogenome and Its Phylogenetic Implications within the Genus.

In order to resolve the long-standing controversy surrounding the relationships within the genus, we conducted an extensive analysis of the complete mitogenome of using DNBSEQ short reads. Additionally, we reconstructed the phylogeny of the Nemacheilidae family using mitogenome data. By comparing all available mitogenomes within the genus, we gained valuable insights into its evolutionary history. Our findings revealed that the mitogenome sequence of is circular, spanning a length of 16,573 bp. It encompasses 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and a control region (D-loop). Among the PCGs, the start codon ATG was commonly observed, except in , while the stop codons TAA/TAG/T were found in all PCGs. Furthermore, purifying selection was evident across all PCGs. Utilizing maximum likelihood (ML) methods, we employed the 13 PCGs and the concatenated nucleotide sequences of 30 mitogenomes to infer the phylogeny. Our results strongly supported the division of the genus into four primary clades. Notably, our study provides the first evidence of the close relationship between and . These findings serve as a significant foundation for future investigations into the mitogenomics and phylogeny of Nemacheilidae fishes, paving the way for further advancements in this field of research.