Species-specific RFLP pattern in the Heat Shock Protein26 gene (Hsp26): a single-locus tool for species identification and experimental testing of habitat-induced isolation in the New World Artemia species

The brine shrimp Artemia (Crustacea, Branchiopoda), a paradigmatic inhabitant of hypersaline lakes, has molecular features to survive under stressful conditions, such as the p26 heat shock protein. We report the RFLP fingerprinting pattern (four restriction enzymes) of a 217 bp fragment of exon2 of the Hsp26 gene in six Artemia franciscana and four Artemia persimilis populations, the most genetically divergent Artemia species co-occurring in latitudinal extremes of Chile. The species-specific RFLP pattern observed is a simple and cost-effective single-locus tool for species delimitation and experimental testing the habitat-induced isolation barrier between them.