Genetic Diversity and Phylogeography of Taenioides cirratus in Five Geographical Populations Based on Mitochondrial COI and Cytb Gene Sequences

The genetic diversity of Taenioides cirratus was investigated on the basis of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cytb) gene sequences. A total of 159 specimens collected from the Chaohu Lake (CL), Nansihu Lake (NL), Taihu Lake (TL), Pearl River (PR), and Nandu River (NR) were sequenced. The total length of the sequence was 2485 bp with 412 polymorphic sites. A total of 73 haplotypes were identified, with Hap1 being the most widely distributed. The PR and NR populations showed high genetic diversity, while the CL population showed low genetic diversity. TL and NL showed high haplotype diversity but low nucleotide diversity. The analysis of molecular variance demonstrated that the sequence variations were mainly occurred among populations. T. cirratus populations are declining, and rare alleles are present at low frequencies, as analysed using a neutral test and a mismatched distribution analysis. There was a relatively high level of genetic differentiation among the populations of the Yangtze River basin (including NL), PR, and NR (Fst > 0.15). The two similar phylogenetic trees constructed by the maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods presented three major lineages, of which lineage II contains haplotypes from PR and NR, lineage III contains haplotypes from CL, NL, TL, and PR, whereas lineage I contains only a portion of haplotypes from NR. Based on the neutral test, mismatch analysis, and Bayesian Skyline Plot (BSP), geological and climatic events were inferred to have played an important role in the historical dynamics of T. cirratus population. Hap1, Hap25, and Hap58 were inferred as possible ancestral haplotypes by network analysis. Our study offers an essential foundation for resource preservation and additional taxonomic clarification of T. cirratus.