Mitochondrial Genome-Based Phylogenetic Reconstruction and Taxonomic Classification of Siluriformes

Siluriformes (commonly known as catfishes) are one of the most diverse groups of freshwater fishes in the world. Their evolutionary history and taxonomic relationships have always been a hot topic in systematic taxonomy and biogeography. In recent years, mitochondrial whole genome data have been widely used in fish phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic reconstruction studies because of their rich genetic information. This study takes Siluriformes as the object, reviews the application progress of mitochondrial genome in phylogenetic research, compares the characteristic differences of mitochondrial genomes of different major groups of Siluriformes, reconstructs the phylogenetic relationship of Siluriformes, and combines molecular clock methods to explore the origin and differentiation time and historical biogeographic pattern of Siluriformes. Specific groups (such as Silurus) are selected as cases to analyze their phylogenetic patterns and species diversity. The results show that mitochondrial genome sequences can effectively analyze the evolutionary relationships between and within Siluriformes families, discover hidden species diversity, and promote the revision of the classification system. This study looks forward to the development direction of phylogenetic research on Siluriformes fish, emphasizing that nuclear genomes and more extensive species sampling should be combined to further improve the systematic classification system of Siluriformes fish and provide a scientific basis for species protection and aquaculture resource utilization.