Dear Ilyas,

Regarding point 2 I think that a 70% ethanol solution is ideal for preserving samples without altering the DNA.

Regards

Antonio

1. Checklist: Start with FAO/FishBase country checklist for Somalia. Then use Google Scholar / Semantic Scholar with keywords like “Somalia fish checklist”, “Somali coast ichthyofauna”, filter by last 5–10 years. Check GBIF/OBIS for occurrence records.

2. Finding recent studies: Use date filters, add terms like review, survey, DNA, barcoding. Check both references cited and “cited by” to track newer work.

3. Sample preservation (low-resource): Small fin or muscle clips → 95–100% ethanol (best), silica gel (cheap, no freezer), or FTA/filter cards for blood/mucus. Always label with metadata (GPS, date, habitat).

4. Accessing papers: Use Google Scholar/Semantic Scholar to get DOIs, then try Unpaywall, ResearchGate, institutional repositories, or directly email authors.

5. Extra tip: Take photos + voucher specimens; compare IDs with FishBase; collaborate with nearby labs (Kenya, Tanzania, India) for sequencing support.

3. Try Academia.edu, Elsevier, FAO fish identification reports, iucn.org, and ScienceDirect.

With open access to IUCN, you can find references on the Global Report on Sharks, Rays, and Chimeras.

Many thanks to everyone who shared their advice and guidance. Your suggestions on literature search, checklists, and sample preservation methods are extremely helpful for my research on Somali coastal fish biodiversity. I truly appreciate your support.