DNA barcoding assessment of fishes in Tasik Raban , Lenggong, Perak for development of education manual

This study aimed to molecularly barcode fish diversity found in Tasik Raban, Lenggong Perak, using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) markers and to develop an educational manual for public reference, consisting of BOLD online data. Freshwater fish were sampled from Tasik Raban and a fin clip from each specimen was collected for molecular amplification utilizing the COI gene. Prior to creating the manual through the implementation of the ADDIE instructional learning methodology, various tasks such as morphological identification, COI divergence assessment, species delimitation, and phylogenetic analysis were undertaken. A total of 142 samples were collected encompasses eight families, 15 genera, and 16 species. Sequencing of extracted DNA revealed 77 DNA barcode with pairwise distance ranging from 0.00% to 2.00%. The application of Neighbour-Joining, Maximum Parsimony, and Maximum Likelihood in phylogenetic analysis showed consistent tree structures without any overlapping clusters. Additionally, all DNA sequences were uploaded to the BOLD online system to contribute to the creation of the educational manual. The manual received high validity and usability ratings from experts. In conclusion, the DNA barcoding assessment showed the presence of invasive fish species in Tasik Raban whilst the educational manual developed can be used to raise conservation awareness. The findings of this research provide a basis for monitoring invasive species in the local aquatic ecosystem.