Development and characterization of microsatellite loci in Phractocephalus hemioliopterus (Siluriformes: Pimelodidae) and their cross-species amplification in six related species

The catfish Phractocephalus hemioliopterus is native to the Amazon and Araguaia-Tocantins basins and one of the most exuberant catfishes. This specie is important, but overfishing, environmental changes, and water pollution can cause the depletion of natural stocks. Thence, this work proposed the isolation and characterization of P. hemioliopterus microsatellites, with the intent to develop tools for population studies to access the genetic structure of this specie. A total of nine polymorphic microsatellites loci showing a number of alleles ranging from four to six were found. The observed and expected heterozygosities showed an average of 0.7401 and 0.6602, respectively, indicating its usefulness as a suitable tool for population genetics studies. Cross-species amplification was successful in six other Pimelodidae species, evidencing 38.8% of polymorphic loci. This group of microsatellites will help future studies on the genetic status of wild and hatchery bred populations of P. hemioliopterus.