16S mitochondrial sequence characterization of striped snakehead (Channa striata Bloch, 1793) from Ogan River, South Sumatra.

Striped snakehead (Channa striata Bloch, 1973) is a freshwater fish commonly consumed by local citizens in Indonesia. Overfishing and habitat fragmentation due to pollution, illegal logging, and land conversion conduce a decline in this fish population in its habitat. Therefore, a policy is needed for the conservation of the fish species in its habitat and increase in the fish production through a breeding program. Providing genetic data information can play an important role for conservation and breeding program of the fish species. Research on genetic characterization of striped snakehead from Indonesia based on 16S mitochondrial sequence data is poorly known. Therefore, the aim of this research was to analyze mitochondrial DNA 16S sequences of striped snakehead collected from Ogan River, Banyuasin, South Sumatra. In this study, four samples of striped snakehead (GBO-01, GBO-02, GBO-03, and GBO-04) were collected from Ogan River, Banyuasin, South Sumatra. In addition, eight sequence samples of striped snakehead (C. striata) from GenBank (accession number KX177965, KU986899, KT358477, KT358478, HM117222, HM117223, KC200558, KC200559) were used as a comparison purpose. The method used in this study was a PCR method with universal primers, 16Sar and 16Sbr. The results revealed that the average composition of mtDNA 16S nucleotide of striped snakehead investigated in this study was A= 30.72%, T= 21.08%, G= 22.49%, and C= 25.70%, while the average A+T and G+C was 51.81% and 48.19% respectively. In addition, the four samples of striped snakehead from the Ogan River, Banyuasin, South Sumatra have only one haplotype and separated from other haplotypes from Malaysia, China, and India. This specific haplotype which was not mixed with other striped snakeheads from other countries can be used as a molecular marker for the striped snakehead from Ogan River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]