Subterranean Fishes of the World

6480

2024

Biology

1-15

3, 608.

Simple Summary: The fine-eyed plateau loach, Triplophysa microphthalma, is a species of the genus Triplophysa in the phylum Chordata. According to the Catalogue of Life China (2024), it is primarily found in the Xinjiang Urumqi Autonomous Region of China. This species has an elongated, cylindrical body that is grayish-brown or yellowish-brown and marked with spots or stripes, aiding in camouflage in the underwater environment. Its smaller eyes, shorter dorsal and caudal fins, and longer ventral and pectoral fins are adaptations that make it well-suited for bottom activities. The lower-positioned mouth is adapted for a benthic lifestyle, facilitating food foraging at the bottom of the body of water. The presence of barbels aids in foraging in turbid waters. The taxonomic classification of T. microphthalma has been contentious, with its placement within either the Triplophysa or Barbatula genus influencing our understanding of its biological characteristics. In this study, we report the complete mitogenome of T. microphthalma and conduct a detailed analysis of its characteristics to infer phylogenetic relationships. Collectively, our research clarified the genus-level phylogenetic relationships of this species. Abstract: The complete mitochondrial genome has been extensively utilized in studies related to phylogenetics, offering valuable perspectives on evolutionary relationships. The mitochondrial genome of the fine-eyed plateau loach, Triplophysa microphthalma, has not attracted much attention, although this species is endemic to China. In this study, we characterized the mitochondrial genome of T. microphthalma and reassessed the classification status of its genus. The complete mitochondrial genome of T. microphthalma was 16,591 bp and contained thirty-seven genes, including thirteen protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and twenty-two transfer RNA genes (tRNAs). All but one of the thirteen PCGs had the regular start codon ATG; the gene cox1 started with GTG. Six PCGs had incomplete stop codons (T--). These thirteen PCGs are thought to have evolved under purifying selection, and the mitogenome shared a high degree of similarity with the genomes of species within the genus Leptobotia. All tRNA genes exhibited the standard clover-shaped structure, with the exception of the trnS1 gene, which lacked a DHU stem. A phylogenetic analysis indicated that T. microphthalma was more closely related to species within the genus Triplophysa than to those in Barbatula. The present study contributes valuable genomic information for T. microphthalma, and offers new perspectives on the phylogenetic relationships among species of Triplophysa and Barbatula. The findings also provide essential data that can inform the management and conservation strategies for T. microphthalma and other species of Triplophysa and Barbatula.

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Kottelat, M. (2012)
Zhang, C.G. and Zhou, Y.H. (2016)
Zhang, Y., Wang, Z., Zhang, Z., Wu, M.. Chen, J. and Zhao, Y. (2018)
Wu, W.J., He, A.Y., Yang, J.X. and Du, L.N. (2018)
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He, Y. and He, D.K. (2023)
Yang, P., Guo,W., Wei, C., Wang, X., Wang, Y. and Wang, J. (2024)
Wang, Y.D., Dong, X.Y. and Liu, H.B. (2024)