Characterization of fourteen microsatellite loci in the endemic and threatened totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi) from the Gulf of California

Abstract

The totoaba, Totoaba macdonaldi, is endemic to the Gulf of California and is listed as threatened on the IUCN red list. In preparation for a study of the population genetic structure of this species 14 microsatellite loci were developed, all found to be moderately or highly polymorphic. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.23 to 1.00 (average 0.67), with the number of alleles ranging from three to 23 in 26 individuals. Only one locus was found to have statistically significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg expectations -Tmac43 which exhibited a heterozygote deficit due possibly to null alleles. No statistically significant genetic disequilibrium was observed following Bonferroni correction. These microsatellite loci appear suitable for examining population structure, kinship assessment, and other applications.

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“…In recent years, research on different aspects of the totoaba was intensified [35,[37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. The unexpected catch of two five-foot-long adult totoaba, caught in East Cape, near to San José del Cabo (its maximum adult range previously known extends southward only to about Bahia de Los Angeles on the Baja coast.…”