Phylogeographic Connectivity of Osteochilus spilurus (Cyprinidae) from Bangka, Belitung, and Kalimantan Islands Using DNA Barcoding

Osteochilus spilurus (Bleeker, 1851), with a vast distribution in Sundaland, is one of the least utilized freshwater species. The lack of interest in this species has resulted in restricted human-caused dispersal and has offered the opportunity for a precise phylogeographic study. Fish samples were caught from six rivers on the islands of Bangka, Belitung, and Kalimantan. Fish identification was conducted using DNA barcoding of cytochrome oxidase 1 with Fish-F1 and Fish-R1 primers. Twenty-five 655 bp nucleotide sequences from this research are recorded in NCBI and represent the first such records. Bangka-Belitung and Kalimantan samples form intraspecific relationships within each region but are separated into different clades between the two regions. This separation suggests that O. spilurus may represent a cryptic species due to historical changes in the formation of the Karimata Strait between the two regions. O. spilurus has the potential to be used as a distribution and phylogeographic model for freshwater fish in Sundaland.