Genetic variation between four species of Indian major carps as revealed by random amplified polymorphic DNA assay

Abstract

Information on the genetic structure of cultivable fish species is essential for studying molecular systematics and optimising fisheries management and fish farming. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay was evaluated for studying genetic relationships and diversities in four species of Indian major carps (Family Cyprinidae). Thirty-four arbitrary primers were screened to identify species-specific RAPD markers among rohu ( Labeo rohita), kalbasu ( L. calbasu), catla ( Catla catla) and mrigal ( Cirrhinus mrigala). Distinct and highly reproducible RAPD profiles with a great degree of genetic variability were detected among species. On average, 45% of the scorable RAPD bands were specific to each species. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that kalbasu is the closest to rohu and the farthest from mrigal. Data are presented with regard to the applications of RAPD markers for hybrid identification, genetic diversity assessment and studying taxonomic relationships at a molecular level.