January 2023
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In order to prevent the introduction in high mountain lakes of species such as the european minnow (Phoxinus sp.), it is necessary to know which species are being introduced and the possible routes of introduction. This study focuses on the genetic analysis of different populations from high mountain lakes and streams from the National Park and other mountain lakes in the Pyrenees and the Alps. We sequenced a fragment of the cytochrome oxidaseI (COI) mitochondrial gene in 131 individuals from 22 localities. We found four species: P. dragarum was the only species found in Catalan lakes, P. bigerri was found in the Aragonese and French lakes, P. septimaniae in the French and Italian lakes, and P. csikii in some Italian lakes. In the Catalan rivers we have found P. dragarum and P. septimaniae, both introduced. In areas where there is more tradition of live bait fishing, such as France and Italy, we sometimes found two species in the same lake, and in most lakes, we found more than one haplotype (genetically different individuals). The cohabitation of more than a single species/ haplotype is an indicator of multiple introductions in most of the lakes. In the National Park, where fishing has been banned for more than 30 years, we have found only one haplotype, suggesting that new introductions are less frequent than elsewhere as a likely consequence of reduced fishing activities.