DNA Barcoding of Rays from the South China Sea

Advancing DNA Barcoding to Elucidate Elasmobranch Biodiversity in Malaysian Waters

“…The field identification of several closely related sharks (including carcharhinid, sphyrnid, and triakid sharks) and batoids (Myliobatiformes and skates) is often challenging, which might result in inaccurate species compositions and diversity in catch reports [ 32 , 33 ]. Moreover, only a few detailed studies have been conducted on the taxonomy and diversity of elasmobranchs in Malaysia [ 9 , 34 , 35 ]. The lack of data in this field is mainly due to large specimen sizes, ethical reasons, lack of experienced taxonomists, and high field survey costs, which, in turn, render accurate identification more challenging [ 36 ].…”

“…DNA barcoding—more specifically, CO1 analysis—has been used widely to aid in the species identification of elasmobranchs from various regions, such as Australia [ 36 , 42 , 43 ], China [ 44 ], the Philippines [ 50 ], Indonesia [ 51 ], Singapore [ 45 , 47 ], India [ 19 , 52 , 53 ], Bangladesh [ 54 ], Southern Africa [ 46 , 55 ], the United Kingdom [ 56 ], the Mediterranean Sea [ 57 ], the North Atlantic Ocean [ 58 ], the United States [ 49 ], and Brazil [ 59 , 60 , 61 ]. To date, limited published DNA barcoding studies in Malaysia have focused on rays but not on sharks [ 9 , 34 ]. From the available records in BOLD [ 62 ], a total of 783 sequences representing 120 species (primarily from the orders Myliobatiformes and Carcharhiniformes) from Malaysian waters were found.…”