HYDERABAD: Scientists at CSIR-Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad have developed an Environmental DNA-based quantitative PCR assay to map the presence and spread of invasive armoured sailfin catfish in the water bodies of the Eastern Ghats.
The work of Neeldeep Ganguly and Dr G Umapathy, chief scientist at CSIR-CCMB, has been published in the journal ‘Environmental DNA’.
The armoured sailfin catfish was introduced for its unique appearance and its ability to clean algal growth in tanks and aquariums. However, the species has spread to 60% of the water bodies in the Eastern Ghats, thereby damaging the ecosystem. They are particularly concerning in extremely biodiverse countries like India.
Dr Vinay K Nandicoori, Director of CSIR-CCMB, said, “The conventional methods of detection of invasive species, which can only be used in smaller geographical coverage, and is labour and cost-intensive. On the other hand, the environmental DNA approach is reliable, accurate, and low cost; it can be used in a large landscape like Eastern Ghats water bodies in a few months’ time.”