Hasan Mahmudul, Kambayashi Chiaki, Anik Zahid Hasan, Islam Md Saiful
Department of Fisheries, Jamalpur Science and Technology University, Jamalpur, Bangladesh.
Evolution and Diversity Research Laboratory, Jamalpur Science and Technology University, Jamalpur, Bangladesh.
PLoS One. 2025 Apr 28;20(4):e0318982. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0318982. eCollection 2025.
Unrecognized cryptic species impede conservation planning and biodiversity assessments. DNA barcoding has tremendously expanded the number of novel and cryptic species in biological science. Despite few sporadic studies, the exact number of freshwater species found in Bangladesh is not known. To assess this biodiversity, we sequenced the COI gene of 124 freshwater specimens, which were gathered from various localities around Bangladesh. Seven cryptic species hidden among the currently studied specimens were identified based on the findings of phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses. The preliminary assessment also encompassed a restricted morphological examination of these cryptic taxa. The appearance of cryptic species, some of them possibly endemic, has been hypothesized. This raises concerns regarding the true diversity and evolutionary history of freshwater species in Bangladesh, which are significantly underrepresented in the current systematic frameworks that do not account for DNA data. Our current study provides baseline data that might aid local ichthyologists in their quest to identify additional new species by combining several variables (morphology and ecology). Further research is warranted to protect the priceless freshwater species in Bangladesh.
未被识别的隐存物种阻碍了保护规划和生物多样性评估。DNA条形码技术极大地增加了生物科学中新型和隐存物种的数量。尽管有一些零星的研究，但孟加拉国淡水物种的确切数量尚不清楚。为了评估这种生物多样性，我们对124个淡水标本的细胞色素氧化酶亚基I（COI）基因进行了测序，这些标本采集自孟加拉国各地。根据系统发育和物种界定分析的结果，在目前研究的标本中发现了7个隐存物种。初步评估还包括对这些隐存分类群进行有限的形态学检查。已经推测出隐存物种的出现，其中一些可能是地方性的。这引发了人们对孟加拉国淡水物种的真实多样性和进化历史的担忧，在当前不考虑DNA数据的系统框架中，这些物种的代表性严重不足。我们目前的研究提供了基线数据，可能有助于当地鱼类学家通过结合多个变量（形态学和生态学）来识别更多新物种。有必要进行进一步的研究来保护孟加拉国珍贵的淡水物种。
