DNA BARCODING OF GASTROPOD TELESCOPIUM TELESCOPIUM (LINNAEUS, 1758) FOUND AT THE KARACHI COAST, PAKISTAN.

DNA barcoding is considered an effective tool for the identification of organisms on the molecular level. The present study aimed to focus on DNA barcoding of Telescopium telescopium (Gastropod) using mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and to correlate it with morphologically identified species found along the coast of Karachi, Pakistan. Our results of BLAST analyses show 95% similarity with the partial sequence of T. telescopium reported from Goa and Kerala, India whereas, the genomic distance of mt-COI gene among the T. telescopium population is 0% to 45%. Telescopium telescopium of Karachi, Pakistan showed 0% evolutionary divergence with the T. telescopium of Goa and Kerala, India and maximum distance 45% with T. telescopium of Bangladesh. This investigation confirmed the morphological and molecular identification of T. telescopium for the first time from Karachi, Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]