First DNA-based Records of New Alien Freshwater Species in the Republic of Georgia

摘要

The aim of the present study was to check the identity of a newly recorded freshwater crab and a goby species using DNA barcoding. The specimens were collected from the fresh waters of the western and eastern areas of Georgia. DNA barcodes (CO1) were obtained from samples, which turned out to belong to Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Decapoda: Panopeidae) and Rhinogobius lindbergi (Gobiiformes: Oxudercidae), detected in Georgia for the first time. Our results demonstrated the usefulness of the molecular methods for the identification of new species introductions that can play an important role in the early detection and the timely decision making. The results encourage the increase of taxon sampling and DNA barcode libraries development in order to effectively deal with the biodiversity inventory and monitoring.