Species diversity and DNA barcoding of wrasses (Teleostei: Labridae) along the southwest coast of India

Wrasses are among the most interesting and numerically abundant fish families and are widely distributed in deep and coastal marine waters. A survey was undertaken to study the diversity of labrids along the southwest coast of India between December 2020 to January 2022. A total of 98 specimens belonging to the family Labridae were collected during the study period, including nine species classified under five genera. The species included Cheilinus chlorourus, Halichoeres timorensis, Halichoeres marginatus, Halichoeres zeylonicus, Labroides dimidiatus, Stethojulis trilineata, Stethojulis interrupta, Thalassoma lunare and Thalassoma jansenii. The species were identified through morphological studies and DNA barcoding using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. The analyses aimed to document the morphological and molecular variations of species from different localities. The resultant molecular data were compared with morphological identifications and additional sequence data from GenBank. The results concluded that generated mtDNA sequences of wrasses matched closely with the available sequences in the GenBank. The studied species were nested in clades with the nearest related species with low Pairwise distances. The study recommends stock assessment of the labrids of India, as they are heavily exploited for both as food and ornamental fish species.