DNA Barcoding of Commercially Important Snappers (Genus Lutjanus (Pisces: Lutjanidae)) from Aceh Waters, Indonesia

Snappers (Lutjanidae) are a group of reef fishes with high commercial importance in Indonesia.However, there is currently a lack of available information on the bioecology and genetics of these snappers.The present identification of snapper species relies primarily on morphological differences, frequently leading to misidentification due to the high similarity among members of this fish group.Molecular data has emerged as a crucial tool in validating and supporting fisheries management plans.Therefore, this study uses a DNA barcoding approach to analyze and validate the taxonomic status of commercially important snappers harvested from Aceh water.DNA barcoding is a species identification method that uses a DNA base sequence system, typically mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) "cytochrome oxidase subunit I" (COI) in animals, with a standard length of 648 bp.The fish samples were collected from January to August 2022 at several landing sites across Aceh, namely Weh Island, Aceh Besar, Banda Aceh, Langsa, Simeulue, and Tapak Tuan.A total of 78 sequences belonging to 15 species were successfully generated.The genetic distance and phylogenetic analyses showed that L. decussatus and L. lemniscatus had a close relationship (genetic distance: 4.90%), while the farthest genetic distance was found between L.gibbus and L. lemniscatus (16.97%).In addition, this study provided a reliable DNA barcode reference library of significant snappers from Aceh for fisheries management through precise species identification for conservation strategies.