A preliminary investigation on genetic diversity of Sousa chinensis in the Pearl River Estuary and Xiamen of Chinese waters

Abstract In this study, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of stranded Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin ( Sousa chinensis ) samples from the Pearl River Estuary and Xiamen waters were sequenced and analyzed. The result of mtDNA control region revealed 34 variable sites and four unique haplotypes (named as A, B, C and D) identified among the total samples from these two water areas, and the most common haplotype (A) was shared by 75% of the dolphins sampled from the two water areas. The haplotypic diversity ( h ) was 0.455 and the nucleotide diversity (π) was 0.0088. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the haplotype A, C, and D were closely related, but the haplotype B (unique for XM01 from Xiamen) was far from the other three. By scanning cytochrome b fragments, two haplotypes (A and B) were identified in these two water areas, and the most common haplotype (A) was shared by 91.67% individuals, while XM01 from Xiamen as the only exception. The data suggest that there is a possibility of gene exchange between the two populations in the Pearl River Estuary and Xiamen waters, and there possibly exists a unique maternal lineage in Xiamen waters.