Morphometric, Meristic, and Genetic Variability of Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora): An Integrated Assessment
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Abstract
A keystone freshwater fish of the Himalayas, the Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) has seen a sharp decline in population as a result of habitat fragmentation, overexploitation, and genetic erosion. Morphometric, meristic, and RAPD-based genetic analyses are combined in this study to evaluate stock structure and population variability. 120 specimens in all were examined at three different sampling sites. Ten meristic characters and twenty morphometric traits were noted using standard ichthyological procedures. 14 morphometric characters showed significant variation (p < 0.05), but meristic traits were mostly conserved. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed population-level differentiation by classifying samples into three separate clusters.Samples were divided into three separate clusters using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which demonstrated population-level differentiation. Ten primers were used for RAPD profiling, which produced 78.4% polymorphism and genetic similarity values between populations ranging from 0.62 to 0.88. According to the combination of morphological and genetic markers, T. putitora populations exhibit moderate-to-high differentiation, which is probably influenced by environmental heterogeneity and river fragmentation. Implications for conservation include the necessity of basin-specific management techniques and genetically informed hatchery practices.
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