Journal of Aquaculture Research & Development

Abstract

Genetic Variation among Cat Fish (Mystus vittatus) Population Assessed by Randomly Amplified Polymorphic (RAPD) Markers from Assam, India

Innifa Hasan and Mrigendra Mohan Goswami

Mystus vittatus is a small indigenous fish species having higher nutritional value in terms of protein, micronutrients, vitamins and minerals. But the catfish aquaculture including Mystus sp has not been developed extensively for its aquaculture potential even though the demand of catfishes in the Indian domestic markets are very high. Therefore for good aquacultural practices and to maintain a healthy gene pool, detailed knowledge on the population structure of Mystus sp. is needed. In the present study molecular and morphological analysis of a population of Mystus vittatus caught from four different freshwater bodies of Assam about 100-400 km away from each other was done using RAPD markers. Total 412 RAPD fragments were generated using nine decamer primers of arbitrary nucleotide sequences. In the experiment 322 polymorphic bands and 90 monomorphic bands were produced which shows 78.15% of polymorphism and 21.84% of monomorphism. UPGMA dendrogram constructed on the basis of genetic distance formed three distinct clusters indicating comparatively higher level of genetic variations in the studied M. vittatus populations in Assam. Once the population structure is known, scientific management for optimal harvest and conservation of the catfish fishery resource can be undertaken. Therefore, the present study may serve as a reference for future examinations of genetic variations within the populations of fishes which are commercially important and the possible use of DNA markers in future may create new avenues for cat fish molecular biological research in this part of world.