The ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) is a marine fish belonging to the family Labridae characterized by 2 main morphotypes that occur in sympatry: spotty and plain. Previous studies have revealed differences in their life-history traits, such as growth and maturation; however, the genetic relationship between forms is presently unknown. Using 20 recently developed microsatellite markers, we conducted a genetic analysis of 41 and 48 spotty and plain ballan wrasse collected in Galicia (northwest Spain). The 2 morphotypes displayed highly significant genetic differences to each other (F ST = 0.018, P < 0.0001). A similar degree of genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.025, P < 0.0001) was shown using the STRUCTURE clustering approach with no priors at K = 2. In this case, the frequency of spotty and plain morphotypes was significantly different ( 2 = 9.46, P = 0.002). It is concluded that there is significant genetic heterogeneity within this species, which appears to be highly associated with the spotty and plain forms, but not completely explained by them. Given the previously demonstrated biological differences between morphotypes, and the present genetic analyses, we speculate about the convenience of a taxonomic re-evaluation of this species.
We developed 20 nuclear microsatellite DNA markers from tri-and tetra-nucleotide enriched libraries in the ballan wrasse. In our dataset (N = 241), the detected number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 12, and the observed and expected heterozygosity varied from 0.251 to 0.778 and from 0.286 to 0.804, respectively. Cross amplification with the goldsinny wrasse resulted in two usable loci whereas the corkwing wrasse amplified in one locus. The ballan wrasse is an important resource for aquaculture as it delouses farmed salmon efficiently and removes organic matter from farming facilities. In order to obtain individuals for this industry, the wrasse are translocated along the Norwegian coastline, in spite of no knowledge of the population structure. This paper enables such studies, which might be important for the long term management of the species.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.