Genetic Characterization Of The Freshwater Gar Fish, Xenentodon cancila, (Hamilton, 1822) (Beloniformes: Belonidae) From The Indus River, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan

Xenentodon cancila, commonly known as the Gar fish, Needle fish, or Needle nose fish, is an Asian fresh water fish that is widely distributed across South and South East Asia, i.e., Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Malaysia. It is adapted for diverse aquatic habitat including fresh water, marine, and brackish water, with a preference for rivers but also inhabiting in ponds, lakes, canals, and other water bodies. In this study, a field survey was conducted from March to August 2021 along the Indus River in Swabi District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A total of 10 samples were collected from four different locations i.e., Tarbela, Hund, Nabi and Kund Park along the Indus River. We measured 30 morphometric characters and performed statistical analysis including mean, standard deviation, range difference, correlation, and regression. We sequenced and submitted two cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes to GenBank with accession numbers PP231016 and PP230982 from Pakistan. Phylogenetic analysis of the COI gene revealed high similarity of almost 100% with other related species. We constructed Median joining haplotype network and find out the haplotype and nucleotide diversity. The haplotype diversity (HD) and nucleotide diversity (π) of the COI gene were calculated as 0.9338 and 0.0113679, respectively.