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Abstract. Gandomkar H, Shekarabi SPH, Abdolhay HA, Nazari S, Mehrjan MS. 2020. Genetic structure of the Capoeta aculeata populations inferred from microsatellite DNA loci. Biodiversitas 21: 4565-4570. The present study aimed to investigate the genetic variation of Capoeta aculeata on the basis of DNA microsatellite loci from three rivers (Beshar, Khersan, Maroun) in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in Iran. DNA from fin clips of 120 specimens extracted and was examined with eight microsatellite markers. Genetic differences between the populations were discerned by pairwise comparison based on allelic distribution. The average number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 14, while the average observed heterozygosity (Ho) at various loci varied between 0.212 to 0.579, implying that a moderate level of genetic variation. Among three populations, Maroun River population displayed the highest level of variability in terms of heterozygosity. Tests of Hardy-Weinberg showed that the microsatellite loci deviated significantly in the populations. The results indicate that some of the populations were significantly differentiated from one another based on pairwise FST estimates. Genetic distance-based measures supported the clustering of Maroun, Beshar, and Khersan rivers. The neighbor-joining dendrogram topology constructed on the basis of genetic distances among populations supported observed division between the populations. The non-significant differentiation between C. aculeata samples from Beshar and Khersan can be explained by a relative disconnection of these two populations and/or small amounts of gene flow.

The species Capoeta aculeata (Valenciennes, 1844) is one of the most important freshwater species endemic to Iran. However, the investigation of a population genetic structure of this species is limited by the low number of molecular markers currently described. In this study, we implemented next generation sequencing technology to identify polymorphic microsatellite markers and investigate the population genetic structure of C. aculeata sampled from three geographical sites in Iran. We sequenced 60 individuals from three populations occurring in the Zagros basin. We characterized and developed 36 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers and these loci were examined in 120 individuals from three populations occurring in the Zagros basin. The average number of alleles per locus varied from 1.7 to 16. (average = 7.89). The results showed that, the polymorphism information content (PCI) of these SSR loci varied from 0.254 to 0.888. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) per locus ranged from 0.170 to 0.881, while the expected heterozygosity (He) per locus was from 0.170 to 0.881. Among these SSR loci, 20 loci deviated signi cantly from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction (p< 0.05). These microsatellite markers could provide a valuable tool for future population and conservation genetics studies of C. aculeate populations and other closely related species.

The species Capoeta aculeata (Valenciennes, 1844) is one of the most important freshwater species endemic to Iran. However, the investigation of a population genetic structure of this species is limited by the low number of molecular markers currently described. In this study, we implemented next generation sequencing technology to identify polymorphic microsatellite markers and investigate the population genetic structure of C. aculeata sampled from three geographical sites in Iran. We sequenced 60 individuals from three populations occurring in the Zagros basin. We characterized and developed 36 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers and these loci were examined in 120 individuals from three populations occurring in the Zagros basin. The average number of alleles per locus varied from 1.7 to 16. (average = 7.89). The results showed that, the polymorphism information content (PCI) of these SSR loci varied from 0.254 to 0.888. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) per locus ranged from 0.170 to 0.881, while the expected heterozygosity (He) per locus was from 0.170 to 0.881. Among these SSR loci, 20 loci deviated significantly from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction (p< 0.05). These microsatellite markers could provide a valuable tool for future population and conservation genetics studies of C. aculeate populations and other closely related species.