Identification of Sea Cucumber Holothuria (Lessonothuria) Pardalis (Selenka, 1867) and Holothuria (Semperothuria) Cinerascens (Brandt, 1835) (Family-Holothuriidae) based on Morphological and Mitochondrial DNA Evidence and Phylogenetic Analysis from Karachi Coast, Pakistan

Abstract

The conventional taxonomy on sea cucumbers is challenging due to their morphological complexity. Molecular investigation of the class Holothuroidea was initiated for further clarity regarding the systematics and taxonomy of this class. A molecular phylogeny of the Holothuroidea was constructed by using maximum likelihood methods, and this unveiled variation in the existing taxonomic classification, which is largely based on the morphology of calcareous parts. H. pardalis and H. cinerascens from Pakistan was identified morphologically but no information was found with regard to molecular identification. This is the first research describing the molecular identification of H. pardalis and H. cinerascens based on 16S rRNAandCOIgenes from the Karachi Coast of Pakistan. Comparisons of mitochondrial 16S rRNAand COI to accessioned sea cucumber sequences on GenBank confirmed H.pardalis'and H. cinerascens identity. This study is the first to report on molecular identification of H.pardalis and H. cinerascens based on the 16S rRNAand COI gene from the Karachi Coast, Pakistan.