Abstract
Multiple paternity was demonstrated for seven clutches of eggs and 40 offspring sampled from these clutches in the cuttlefish Sepiella japonica from Fujian Shacheng Harbor Cultivation Base (Fujian Province, China), using four microsatellite DNA markers. It was observed that female cuttlefish copulated with different males. In this study, genotyping data suggest that at least three paternal allele genotypes were present in all seven clutches indicating that at least two males were responsible for each brood. Combined with behavioral observations, this study provides evidence for sperm competition and multiple paternity in S. japonica.
Highlights
The cuttlefish Sepiella japonica Sasaki, 1929 (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) is a commercially important marine species in China
We considered evidence from at least two loci to be necessary for estimation of multiple paternity, because evidence from one locus may have been caused by mutations or genotyping error (Davy et al 2011)
Mating behavior in S. japonica involves courtship of a female by a male, and females may copulate with multiple males
Summary
The cuttlefish Sepiella japonica Sasaki, 1929 (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) is a commercially important marine species in China. Liqin Liu et al / ZooKeys 880: 33–42 (2019). The resource of S. japonica has declined since the 1980s due to over-fishing and pollution (Jiang et al 2014). Artificial breeding methods are being developed in China and successful aquaculture techniques have been established in recent years (Yin et al 2013). Studies have revealed that the populations and individual genetic diversity in this species has declined under artificial conditions (Song and Wang 2009; Xu et al 2011). The factors affecting the maintenance of genetic diversity have been a primary concern of conservation biologists
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