Testing the utility of DNA barcodes and a preliminary phylogenetic framework for Chinese freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) from the middle and lower Yangtze River.

ABSTRACT: The middle and lower portions of the Yangtze River basin is the most species-rich region for freshwater mussels in Asia. The management and conservation of the taxa in this region has been greatly hampered by the lack of a well-developed phylogeny and species-level taxonomic framework. In this study, we tested the utility of two mitochondrial genes commonly used as DNA barcodes: the first subunit of the cytochrome oxidase c gene (COI) and the first subunit of the NADH dehydrogenase gene (ND1) for 34 putative species representing 15 genera, and also generated phylogenetic hypotheses for Chinese unionids based on the combined dataset of the two mitochondrial genes. The results showed that both loci performed well as barcodes for species identification, but the ND1 sequences provided better r

SUBMITTER: Wu RW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6082535 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature