Genetic variation at mtDNA and microsatellite loci in Chinese longsnout catfish (Leiocassis longirostris)

Genetic variability and population structure of the Chinese longsnout catfish Leiocassis longirostris Günther in the Yangtze River was examined with mitochondrial control region sequences and nuclear microsatellite markers. A 705-bp segment of the mitochondrial DNA control region was sequenced from 132 samples, which identified a total of 61 haplotypes. The Chinese longsnout catfish in the Yangtze River was characterized with high haplotype diversity (h = 0.9770 ± 0.0041) but low nucleotide diversity (π = 0.0081 ± 0.0043). Median-joining network analysis revealed a star-shaped pattern and mismatch distribution analysis found a smooth unimodal distribution, which suggested that this species in the Yangtze River underwent a population expansion following bottlenecks and/or they originated from a small size of founding population. It was estimated that the possible time of population expansion was 139,000-435,000 years before present, a time period in the middle Pleistocene. The analysis of molecular variance and phylogenetic reconstructions did not detect significant geographic structure between different river sections. This pattern of genetic variation was further evidenced with nuclear microsatellite markers. The genetic differentiation between above and below the Gezhouba Dam and Three Gorges Dam is very small at mitochondrial and nuclear levels, which suggested that these recently developed dams might have not significantly resulted in population genetic fragmentation in the Chinese longsnout catfish. However, the potential exacerbation of genetic structuring by the dams should not be overlooked in the future.