DNA barcoding reveals species composition of sharks and rays in the Indian commercial fishery

DNA barcoding was successfully used for the accurate identification of chondrichthyans in the Indian commercial marine fishery. About 528 specimens of 111 chondrichthyan species and 34 families, collected from the Indian EEZ, were barcoded for a 655 bp region of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI). Generally, five specimens per species were barcoded, but numbers ranged from 2 to 13. The average Kimura 2 parameter (K2P) distance separating individuals within species was 0.32%, and the average distance separating species within genera was 6.73%. Ten species were suggested as putative new species requiring formal descriptions. Based on the morphology and molecular support, 11 elasmobranch species were confirmed first records for Indian waters. The present study confirms the ability of DNA barcoding for the accurate identification of sharks, rays, and their products from Indian waters.