Genetic characterization of fish, Cynoglossus lingua Hamilton, 1822 found in Chandipur Coast of Odisha using COI and Cytochrome b genes

Aim: In this study we characterized the fish Cynoglossus lingua collected from Chandipur Coast of Odisha using the mtDNA markers cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt-b) genes. Methodology: Samples of flat fish were collected from Balaramgadi fish landing center, Chandipur sea beach, Odisha coast. The collected specimens were initially identified based on the morphology using standard taxonomic keys. Molecular characterization was accomplished through PCR amplification of COI and Cyt-b genes. The sequences were subjected to BLAST analysis and aligned using Clustal W for homology mapping. Phylogenetic status was inferred by the neighbor-joining method using MEGA v7.0. Results: The taxonomic keys and the COI and Cyt-b gene sequences identified the specimens as C. lingua. The COI and Cyt-b gene sequences showed 98% and 99% sequence similarity with C. lingua isolate FMU.CIFRI.FF-7 COI gene (GenBank accession: MN889532.1) and the C. lingua isolate FM.CIFRI.CYTB.FF-7 Cyt-b gene (GenBank accession MT362541.1), respectively. Interpretation: The study supports the reliability of combining classical taxonomic approaches with molecular analysis using COI and Cyt-b genes for the identification of C. lingua. Key words: Cynoglossus lingua, COI gene, Cytochrome b gene, DNA barcoding, Molecular taxonomy