Genetic relationships among three species of the genus Sardinella (Clupeidae)

Abstract

An electrophoretic analysis of 17 enzyme coding loci was undertaken in three clupeid species, @iSardinella longiceps@@ Val., @iSardinella fimbriata@@ Val., collected from the west coast of India. At MDH-2, MEP and PGM loci the three species shared no alleles. Nei's genetic distance values ranged from 0.31 + or - 0.15 to 1.68 + or - 0.51. Four loci were polymorphic in @iS. albella@@, and three in @iS. fimbriata@@ at P=0.95 level. No locus was polymorphic by the 95% criterion in @iS. longiceps@@. Average heterozygosity ranged from 0.006 + or -0.01 to 0.048 + or - 0.093. The genetic variation in @iS. longiceps@@ was less than 25% of that of @iS. albella@@ and @iS. fimbriata@@