Vol. 78 2026

ARTICLES

First Record of the Non‑native Pond Loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from the Lower Amu Darya River in Uzbekistan

Bakhtiyor Sheraliev*

More info

*Department of Zoology and General Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Fergana State University, 150100 Fergana, Uzbekistan; E-mail: bakhtiyorsheraliev@gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb78.1.002968

PDF

Abstract

This study reports the first record of the non-native pond loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) (Oriental Weatherfish), from the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River in northwestern Uzbekistan. The species’ identity was confirmed through an integrated approach using morphological data and DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene. The presence of a reproducing population, including both mature adults and juveniles, suggests the species is well-established. The likely invasion pathway is an introduction from the adjacent Karakum Canal in Turkmenistan, where the species is already established, followed by downstream dispersal. This discovery, representing only the second Cobitidae species known from Uzbekistan, underscores the dynamic nature of biological invasions in the Aral Sea basin and highlights the critical need for continued monitoring of the regional ichthyofauna.

Key words

Aral Sea basin, cytochrome oxidase I, invasive species, loaches

How to Cite
Sheraliev B. 2026. First Record of the Non‑native Pond Loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from the Lower Amu Darya River in Uzbekistan. Acta zoologica bulgarica 78.

References

  1. Bellard C., Thuiller W., Leroy B., Genovesi P., Bakkenes M. & Courchamp F. 2013. Will climate change promote future invasions? Global Change Biology 19: 3740-3748. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12344
  2. Blackburn T. M., Pyšek P., Bacher S., Carlton J. T., Duncan R. P., Jarošík V., Wilson J. R. U. & Richardson D. M. 2011. A proposed unified framework for biological invasions. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26 (7): 333-339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2011.03.023
  3. Cano-Barbacil C., Haubrock P. J. & Radinger J. 2025. Asian loaches: An emerging threat as global invaders. Freshwater Biology 70 (4): e70026. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.70026
  4. Chen W., Ma X., Shen Y., Mao Y. & He S. 2015. The fish diversity in the upper reaches of the Salween River, Nujiang River, revealed by DNA barcoding. Scientific Reports 5: e17437. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep17437
  5. Clavero M. & García-Berthou E. 2005. Invasive species are a leading cause of animal extinctions. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 20 (3): 110-110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2005.01.003
  6. Clavero M., Suh J., Franch N., Aparicio E., Buchaca T., Caner J., Garcia-Rodriguez S., Llimona F., Pou-Rovira Q., Rocaspana R. & Ventura M. 2023. Invaders they are a-changing: A recent, unexpected surge of invasive loaches in Catalonia. Freshwater Biology 68 (4): 621-631. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14051
  7. Froese R. & Pauly D. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (04/2025).
  8. Gallardo B., Aldridge D. C., González-Moreno P., Pergl J., Pizarro M., Pyšek P., Thuiller W., Yesson C. & Vilà M. 2017. Protected areas offer refuge from invasive species spreading under climate change. Global Change Biology 23: 5331–5343. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13004
  9. Global Invasive Species Database 2023. 100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species. https://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/100_worst.php (accessed on 15 August 2023)
  10. Guo Y., Sun Z., He X., Shi W. & Chen Y. 2021. Colored Atlas of Fishes of Sichuan. Volume II. Sichuan: Sciencepress. pp. 476-973.
  11. Haubrock P. J., Bernery C., Cuthbert R. N., Liu C., Kourantidou M., Leroy B., Turbelin A. J., Kramer A. M., Verbrugge L. N. H., Diagne C., Courchamp F. & Gozlan R. E. 2022. Knowledge gaps in economic costs of invasive alien fish worldwide. Science of The Total Environment 803: e149875. ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149875
  12. Haubrock P. J., Novello M., Abreo N. A., Błońska D., Franco A. C. S., Soto I., Castaldelli G., Katsanevakis S., Kouba A., Balzani P., Kurtul I., Tarkan A. S., Britton J. R. & Briski E. 2025. GFID: A Global Fish Invasion Database. Ecological Research 40: e70016. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.70016
  13. Huang S., Tian X., Wang W., Song W., Zhang X., Bai X. & Cao X. 2015. The complete mitochondrial genome of natural Misgurnus bipartitus (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae). Mitochondrial DNA 26 (5) 680-681. https://doi.org/10.3109/19401736.2013.840605
  14. Keller R. P. & Lake P. S. 2007. Potential impacts of a recent and rapidly spreading coloniser of Australian freshwaters: Oriental weather loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus). Ecology of Freshwater Fish 16 (2): 124-132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0633.2006.00204.x
  15. Knebelsberger T., Dunz A. R., Neumann D. & Geiger M. F. 2015. Molecular diversity of Germany’s freshwater fishes and lampreys assessed by DNA barcoding. Molecular Ecology Resources 15 (3): 562-572. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12322
  16. Kottelat M. & Freyhof J. 2007. Handbook of European freshwater fishes. Berlin: Kottelat, Cornol & Freyhof. 646 pp.
  17. Kumar S., Stecher G., Li M., Kınyaz C. & Tamura K. 2018. MEGA X: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis across computing platforms. Molecular Biology and Evolution 35: 1547-1549. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy096
  18. Mirabdullaev I. M. & Mullabaev N. R. 2020. Ichthyofauna of Uzbekistan: modern state and taxonomy. Uzbek Biology Journal 5: 43-49. (In Russian with English abstract).
  19. Miya M., Sato Y., Fukunaga T., Sado T., Poulsen J. Y., Sato K., Minamoto T., Yamamoto S., Yamanaka H., Araki H., Kondoh M. & Iwasaki W. 2015. MiFish, a set of universal PCR primers for metabarcoding environmental DNA from fishes: detection of more than 230 subtropical marine species. Royal Society Open Science 2 (7): 150088. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.150088
  20. Murienne J., Jeziorski C., Holota H., Coissac E., Blanchet S. & Grenouillet G. 2016. PCR-free shotgun sequencing of the stone loach mitochondrial genome (Barbatula barbatula). Mitochondrial DNA Part A 27 (6): 4211-4212. https://doi.org/10.3109/19401736.2015.1022744
  21. Rustamov A. K. & Shakirova M. F. 2013. Note of modern ichthyofauna of Turkmenistan. In: Sopiev O. S. & Kherromov S. R. (Eds.): Study of biodiversity of Turkmenistan (vertebrates). Moscow-Ashgabat: Ilim, pp. 78-89.
  22. Schroeter J. C., Maloy A. P., Rees C. B. & Bartron M. L. 2020. Fish mitochondrial genome sequencing: expanding genetic resources to support species detection and biodiversity monitoring using environmental DNA. Conservation Genetics Resources 12: 433-446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-019-01111-0
  23. Shedko S. V. & Vasil’eva E. D. 2022. A new species of the pond loaches Misgurnus (Cobitidae) from the south of Sakhalin Island. Journal of Ichthyology 62 (3): 356-372. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945222030158
  24. Shen Y., Kang J., Chen W. & He S. 2016. DNA barcoding for the identification of common economic aquatic products in Central China and its application for the supervision of the market trade. Food Control 61: 79-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.08.038
  25. Sheraliev B. & Peng Z. 2021. Molecular diversity of Uzbekistan’s fishes assessed with DNA barcoding. Scientific Reports 11 (1): 16894. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96487-1
  26. Shi X., Kou C., He C., Deng H., Yang H., Li X., Liu M., Liu Y., Li J. & Chen W. 2025. DNA barcode reference library and undetected diversity of fish species in the Yuanjiang River, China. Fishes 10 (8): 418. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080418
  27. Tang Q., Deng L., Luo Q., Duan Q., Wang X. & Zhang R. 2023. DNA barcoding of fish species diversity in Guizhou, China. Diversity 15 (2): 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020203
  28. Urquhart A. N. & Koetsier P. 2013. Low-Temperature Tolerance and Critical Thermal Minimum of the Invasive Oriental Weatherfish Misgurnus anguillicaudatus in Idaho, USA. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 143 (1): 68-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2013.829124.
  29. Vasil’eva E. D., Kegenova G. B., Sharakhmetov S. E. & Mamilov N. Sh. 2024. Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cobitidae): a new non-native species naturalized in water bodies of the Balkhash-Ili Basin, Kazakhstan. Journal of Ichthyology 64 (1): 90-98. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945224010107
  30. Walsh J. R., Carpenter S. R. & Vander Zanden M. J. 2016. Invasive species triggers a massive loss of ecosystem services through a trophic cascade. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 (15): 4081-4085. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1600366113
  31. Ward R. D., Zemlak T. S., Innes B. H., Last P. R. & Hebert P. D. N. 2005. DNA barcoding Australia’s fish species. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 360 (1462): 1847-1857. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2005.1716
  32. Yi S., Zhong J., Wang S., Huang S. & Wang W. 2016. Mitochondrial DNA reveals evolutionary status and population genetics of two closely related fish (Misgurnus bipartitus and Misgurnus mohoity) in northeast China. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 68: 192-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bse.2016.07.018
  33. Yu Y. Y., Song W., Wang Y. Z., Wang W. M. & Zhou X. Y. 2015. Complete mitochondrial genome of the Amur weatherfish, Misgurnus mohoity (Teleostei: Cypriniformes: Cobitididae). Mitochondrial DNA 26 (2): 310-312. https://doi.org/10.3109/19401736.2013.825789
  34. Zangl L., Schäffer S., Daill D., Friedrich T., Gessl W., Mladinić M., Sturmbauer C., Wanzenböck J., Weiss S. J. & Koblmüller S. 2022. A comprehensive DNA barcode inventory of Austria’s fish species. PLoS ONE 17 (6): e0268694. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268694
  35. Zhang H., Wang Y. X., Yang H. L., Tan H. M. & Chen Y. X. 2021. Taxonomic revision of Chinese species of the genera Misgurnus and Paramisguenus (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae). Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica 45 (2): 414-427. https://doi.org/10.7541/2021.2019.166