One hundred and twenty specimens of eight cyprinid fish species included Barbus xanthopterus, B. kersin, B. barbulus, B. grypus, B. sharpeyi, B. luteus, Aspius vorax and Cyprinus carpio were collected from Shatt Al-Arab River in governorate of Basrah Southern of Iraq. The DNA fingerprints were identified using RAPD-PCR technique with seven decamere primers. A total of 223 anonymous scorable bands obtained by RAPD-PCR technique across eight cyprinid species genomes. The average of bands per primer was 32 bands, the size of bands estimated using the linear equation of standard curve plot of standard 100 bp ladder. The RAPD markers were used to obtain the similarity indices that were in high value among Barbus species since it ranged from 84.4% between B. xanthopterus and B. kersin to 52% between B. barbulus and B. sharpeyi. While the B. grypus appeared in high similarity indices value (86.9%) with luciscin A. vorax. While C. carpio exhibit high diversity indices value with the Barbus spp.. Therefore the phylogenetic relationships among the eight studied cyprinid species were clearly resolved in dendrograms, they clustered into three branches: the first one included B. xanthopterus, B. kersin, B, barbulus, while the second included B. sharpeyi and B. luteus and the third branch contained B. grypus and A. vorax. Nevertheless, when A. vorax data discarded, the B. grypus return to cluster with B. sharpeyi and B. luteus. Whereas C. carpio functioned as outgroup in both cases. The conclusion of the present study was: molecular patterns showed by RAPD bands represent specific DNA fingerprints and apparently are suitable tool to distinguish among cyprinids. The results clearly revealed that the eight cyprinid taxa are distinctive species. The studied Barbus species are divided into two groups, the first one included B. xanthopterus, B. kersin and B. barbulus which have European Luciobarbus affinities and the second contained B. grypus, B. sharpeyi and B. luteus which they diverged of Luciobarbus but still related to Barbus. So, the Barbus in Iraq is polyphyletic group.

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Genetic diversity of fish species in Iraqi waters studies are rare, the study design to invistigate the genetic diversity of Kattan Luciobarbus xanthopterus Heckel, 1843 among four ecosystems; Shatt Al-Arab River southern Iraq, Dokan reserviour in Sulaimanya province, Tigris near Kut city and Euphrates near Kerbala'a city. Couple RAPD decamere primers have been selected. The profiles of RAPD-PCR products on agarose gel revealed 22 and 19 bands respectively. The C15 primer amplified seven, seven, one and four bands and C16 primer created four, eight, two and eight bands respectively. The study concluded that the L. xanthopterus genetically differentiated while adapting to various environments. whereas population in Tigris near Kut city was the most divers from the others. In the same time populations from Shatt Al-Arab river and Dokan reserviour were the most similar, while the Euphrates population near Kerbala'a varied from the two later most similar populations. The result of RAPD test revealed that this species acclimated with the ecological variation. The study recommoneds not to use each of the four stocks in artificial crossbreeding in order to conserve the L. xanthopterus genetic diversity.

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