Identification and Phylogenetic ‎Status of Members of Aphaniidae ‎Family in the Isfahan and Sirjan ‎Basin Using COI Gene

Isfahan basin, with 18 species of fish, has a relatively good variety of fish among the Endorheic basins of Iran. In previous studies, the presence of one species of the pupfishes family Aphaniidae was recorded in this basin. However, a recent report of the presence of Esmaeilius vladykovi based on morphological evidence from this basin has been recorded, which needs further investigation. For this purpose, samples of E. isfahanensis, E. vladykovi were obtained from their type localities and Hoz mahi village (where the presence of a new species has been reported) by electro fisher and Hand net. After DNA extraction from the samples, their COI gene was amplified in a thermocycler and then sequenced. Subsequent sequences of other species in this family were obtained from the NCBI Gene Bank. The best evolutionary model and the phylogenetic tree were selected and drawn by IQTREE. The results of the phylogenetic tree showed that at least nine valid species of this family are present in Iran. In addition, due to the location of specimens in the village of Hoz Mahi in the cluster of specimens caught from the type locality of E. vladykovi, the presence of this species in the Isfahan and Sirjan basin was confirmed. Also, due to the few genetic distance observed between the population of Isfahan and Sirjan basin and Karun, it was possible that this species was transferred to mentioned basin by local people.