Vouchered DNA Barcoding to Support Aquatic Biodiversity Exploration and Management: Case Study on Maros Karst Endemic Marosatherina ladigesi

DNA barcoding is a powerful tool for biodiversity exploration and conservation, directly and to support other molecular methods such as environmental DNA (eDNA). However, the usefulness of DNA barcoding depends on the reliability of data in databases such as BOLD and GenBank. In addition to barcodes for around 8,000 fish species, the 5-year FISH-BOL global fish barcoding program produced guidance for reliable barcoding. This included the need for voucher specimens or other strong evidence to verify taxonomic identity and a recommendation for multiple barcodes from different populations of each species. Here we present the case of the Maros karst endemic Celebes rainbowfish Marosatherina ladigesi (Ahl 1936), local name “beseng-beseng”, from collection to barcoding and voucher specimen preparation to meet such standards. The sole species in the genus Marosatherina Ivantsoff et al. (1998) (Atheriniformes: Telmatherinidae), M. ladigesi is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List and was represented by a single GenBank accession of an individual of unknown origin sourced from the aquarium trade in the USA. From two studies in the endemic distribution of this fish, we obtained vouchered M. ladigesi sequences from two Maros karst rivers. These data contribute to global DNA barcode databases for the Wallacea biodiversity and endemism hotspot while enriching the Hasanuddin University Wallacea collection.