Development of 12 tetranucleotide microsatellite markers for the tetraploidy fish Percocypris pingi (Tchang)

Percocypris pingi is a tetraploid fish species mainly distributed in the upper Yangtze River drainage. Its populations had decreased dramatically in recent years due to anthropogenic influences, raising the level of concern for its conservation. In order to provide appropriate molecular markers for future conservation research, 12 tetranucleotide microsatellites were developed through 454 sequencing data. The number of alleles per locus varied from 4 to 13 (mean = 9.333). The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.406 to 0.899 (mean = 0.736); the expected heterozygosity under random chromosomal segregation and under random chromatid segregation ranged from 0.365 to 0.894 (mean = 0.763) and 0.341 to 0.835 (mean = 0.712), respectively; the polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.310 to 0.885 with an average of 0.736. All of the microsatellite makers displayed a high level of polymorphism (PIC > 0.5) except PM30. The microsatellite markers reported here will facilitate the population genetic analyses of this species.