A rapid and inexpensive molecular technique to discriminate the north-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Atherina species and its potential applications in ecology and larval identification

• Main Author: Almada, Vítor Carvalho
• Publication Date: 2012
• Other Authors: Francisco, Sara Martins, Rosa, Inês, Domingues, Vera dos Santos, Cabral, Henrique, Almada, Frederico José Oliveira de, Henriques, Miguel, Robalo, Joana Isabel
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/1791
• topic: Atherina; RFLP; mtDNA

This note describes a rapid and inexpensive Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism technique to discriminate all species of Atherina (Pisces: Atherinidae) of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. This technique is based on digestion of a fragment of the 12S ribosomal RNA (12SrRNA) gene region of mitochondrial DNA with restriction enzymes that recognize species-specific nucleotide sites. The three currently recognized species in the area, as well as two additional forms awaiting formal description, can be discriminated using a set of four endonucleases. We argue that this simple and fast technique may be of great help in the identification of young stages and in ecological surveys.