Find in Library

<i>Megalobrama terminalis</i>, which inhabits the Sino-Russian Heilong-Amur River Basin, has decreased critically since the 1960s. It has been listed in the Red Book of Endangered Fish Species by the Russian Federation in 2004. To guide the utilization and conservation programs of <i>M. terminalis</i> in the Heilong River (MTH), 3.1 kb of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) concatenated sequences and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers (15 primer combinations) were applied to explore the genetic divergence and population differentiation of MTH within the genus <i>Megalobrama</i>. Clear genetic divergence between MTH and six other populations of the genus <i>Megalobrama</i> was found by haplotype network (mtDNA) and principal component (SRAP) analyses. Moreover, the STRUCTURE analysis based on SRAP data showed that MTH could be assigned to a particular cluster, whereas conspecific <i>M. terminalis</i> in the Qiantang River and Jinsha River Reservoir belonged to the same cluster. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and <i>F</i>st statistics for the mtDNA and SRAP data revealed significant genetic variance and differentiation among all detected populations. Taken together, the results suggest that MTH has a strong genetic differentiation from other populations within the genus <i>Megalobrama</i>, which contributes to effective utilization in artificial cultivation and breeding of MTH. Furthermore, these results also provide a scientific basis for the management of MTH as a separate conservation unit.