Phylogenetic relationships of Oxynoemacheilus species inferred from the cytochrome b gene in Western Iran

Document Type : scientific research article

Authors

1 Faculty of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran

2 Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

3 Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

Abstract

The family Nemacheilidae exhibits high species diversity in Iran, making it an ideal location to study the evolutionary processes that generate biodiversity. Oxynoemacheilus, a genus within the Nemacheilidae, has a distribution ranging from Albania to Iran and the Caucasus, with 16 species documented within Iran. This study investigates the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among Oxynoemacheilus species in western Iran using mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods. The results indicate that the examined species cluster into three distinct evolutionary lineages: O. elsae in Clade A; O. bergianus, O. euphraticus, O. longipinnis, and O. parvinae in Clade B as known as bergianus group; and O. chomanicus, O. frenatus, O. karunensis, O. kiabii, O. kurdistanicus, O. persa, O. zagrosensis, and O. zarzianus in Clade C. The findings suggest that O. elsae evolved independently, likely due to geographical separation from the other species studied. Additionally, robust body forms are observed exclusively in the Persian Gulf basin, whereas slender body forms are present across all three basins. These results contribute to understanding the evolutionary history and biogeographical distribution of Oxynoemacheilus species in Iran.

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Journal of Utilization and Cultivation of Aquatics
Volume 15, Issue 1
April 2026
Pages 143-153

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