Investigations on genetic diversity of northern snakehead (Channa argus) populations in China using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers

Genetic diversity of northern snakehead (Channa argus) from China were investigated using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. A total of 361 loci were detected by seven AFLP selective primer combinations from 240 individuals collected at eight locations. The proportion of polymorphic loci and Nei's genetic diversity among populations ranged from 32.1 to 46.1% and 0.092 to 0.128, respectively. Compared to other fish species, the northern snakehead population exhibited a lower level of genetic diversity. Genetic differentiation (F-st) and genetic distance among populations ranged from 0.034 to 0.382 and from 0.015 to 0.155, respectively. Molecular variance analysis showed that there was significant differentiation (p<0.05) among eight populations. Results from UPGMA analysis indicated that the eight populations could be divided into four major clusters. These results would be useful for the conservation of the northern snakehead resources and in selective breeding programmes.