Molecular phylogenetics of Kashmir catfish (Glyptothorax kashmirensis): Genetic identity, conservation units, and basin connectivity

The Kashmir catfish, Glyptothorax kashmirensis , is a rheophilic sisorid endemic to the western Himalayas and listed as Critically Endangered because of population decline associated with habitat degradation and river impoundment. To clarify its genetic identity and population status, we analyzed three mitochondrial loci, cytochrome oxidase I (COI), cytochrome b (Cyt- b ), and 16S rRNA, from Glyptothorax specimens collected in the Jhelum and Poonch rivers of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, and compared them with GenBank records of related taxa. Maximum likelihood analysis of a 668-bp concatenated alignment recovered the Jhelum and Poonch specimens assigned to G. kashmirensis as a well-supported monophyletic clade with very low mitochondrial divergence. Their closest affinity to Girardia garhwali suggests recent evolutionary separation or historical basin connectivity between the Indus and Ganges systems. These findings support genetic identification and conservation planning for G. kashmirensis .