Genetic diversity of nearly threatened and vulnerable species of Serranidae fish family from the coastal area of Pakistan

Species belonging to the Serranidae fish family exhibit an overlapping color pattern that may lead to misidentification in the field. Their color pattern varies from juveniles to adults. DNA barcoding of species Epinephelus bleekeri , Epinephelus erythrurus , Epinephelus epistictus , Epinephelus diacanthus, Epinephelus coioides, Epinephelus stoliczkae, Epinephelus latifasciatus, Epinephelus polylepis, Epinephelus aerolatus, Epinephelus morrhua, Epinephelus radiatus, and Cephalopholis formosa belonging to Serranidae fish family was done to substantiate existing knowledge based on taxonomic relationships. Samples were collected from fish landing facilities along the Pakistan coast. The 680 bp 5ʹ region of COI was amplified with the help of universal primers. After successful amplification sequencing was done using Sanger's method. Genetic diversity was calculated using obtained sequences. The mean interspecific genetic distance of 0.1444 was significantly higher than the mean intraspecific distance of 0.0051. The barcode gap analysis depicted significant genetic divergence affirming the delineation of species. The haplotype network gave valuable insights into the isolated and connected populations. The phylogenetic tree delineated apparent clades for all grouper species. The species having bars ( Epinephelus diacanthus and Epinephelus stoliczkae ) were clustered under the same clade and species having dots like ( Epinephelus bleekeri, Epinephelus polylepis , and Epienephelus areolatus ) were clustered under separate clade. DNA barcoding of the Serranidae fish family was done for the first time in Pakistan. The findings from the present study emphasized the importance of genetic-based sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture, and the formation of conservation strategies.