Screening and characterization of novel microsatellite loci in Lateolabrax japonicus

Lateolabrax japonicus, an economically important species, is widely consumed in the offshore coasts of China, Korea, and Japan. We identified 10 new L. japonicus microsatellite markers, using a modified protocol of fast isolation by AFLP of sequences containing repeats. Thirty L. japonicus individuals were collected from Xiamen, China, to evaluate the degree of polymorphism. The number of identified alleles ranged from three to five. The polymorphism information content varied from 0.267 to 0.711, whereas the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.249 to 0.706 and 0.294 to 0.751, respectively. One of the 10 loci (L10) deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These new microsatellite markers will provide a useful tool for the determination of population genetic structure and genetic diversity in L. japonicus.