Integrative Taxonomy Reveals the First Record of Garra substrictorostris Roni & Vishwanath, 2018 (Actinopteri: Cyprinidae) from the Brahmaputra River Drainage, Assam, Northeastern India

In the present study, the occurrence of Garra substrictorostris Roni & Vishwanath, 2018, (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) was recorded for the first time from the Manas River in the Brahmaputra drainage system, thereby expanding the species’ distributional range. Two specimens were collected and identified to the species level using the existing literature. Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit I (COI) gene barcoding was conducted to confirm the identity of the specimens collected from the Manas River. Morphological examination revealed characteristics consistent with the original description of G. substrictorostris from the Barak River drainage area. These findings were further corroborated by molecular data, specifically mitochondrial COI gene barcoding. The genetic distance between Garra substrictorostris and G. nasuta was observed to be 4.05%, inferring G. nasuta to be the closest relative and G. lissorhynchus to be the most distant species (15.45%), forming a different clade among the reported species within the genus Garra. A maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference phylogenetic trees were also constructed, which signify the correct identification of the species.