Characterization of microsatellite loci in Schizopygopsis chengi chengi and their utilization in assessment of the genetic diversity in Schizopygopsis chengi baoxingensis

Abstract Schizopygopsis chengi , which belongs to the subfamily Schizothoracinae, comprises two subspecies, Schizopygopsis chengi chengi and Schizopygopsis chengi baoxingensis . S. c. chengi inhabits streams and lakes in upper reaches of the Dadu River. S. c. baoxingensis occurs as a single population endemic to the Baoxing River in China. In order to provide the reliable molecular markers for genetic investigation of S. chengi , eleven tetranucleotide microsatellite loci were developed from GATA-enriched library. The polymorphism of the loci was tested in 25 S. c. chengi individuals and the results showed that the loci were highly polymorphic. Eight loci were successfully amplified in S. c. baoxingensis . Sixty-seven different alleles were observed in the 82 S. c. baoxingensis individuals, and A I , H O , and PIC were 2.258, 0.549 and 0.572, respectively. The level of genetic diversity based on microsatellite loci was different from the previous studies based on mitochondrial DNA for S. c. baoxingensis , suggesting combined analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA was required.