Phylogenetic and geographic relationships of some species of the genus Capoeta in the Tigris, Persian Gulf, Kerman-Naeen, Namak, Tezdjen, and Caspian basins

In this study a total of 60 specimens representing different species of Capoeta in the Tigris, Karun, Mond, Naeen-Kerman, Namak, Caspian and Tedzhen Basins were analyzed using COI sequences. Totally 19 haplotypes were recovered. Among the studied species, three phylogenetic groups including Capoeta damascina, Capoeta trutta, and Capoeta capoeta groupings were resolved. In the mentioned groupings, C. buhsei haplotypes in the Namak and Karun Basins were very closely affined to one another. This close relationship can be an indication of a probable inter-connection between the mentioned basins. In the Caspian Basin there was also a haplotype closely resembling C. aculeate haplotypes, that can indicate the existence of C. aculeate in the Caspian Basin. Capoeta trutta and C. barroisi showed genetic distances of 0.65-0.79% relative to one another, which shows their close evolutionary relationship.