Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference

W11,P341

A GENETIC LINKAGE MAP OF THE NILE TILAPIA

1. Department of Zoology and Program in Genetics, University of New Hampshire, 216 Rudman Hall, 46 College Road, Durham, NH 03824
2. Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK

We have constructed a genetic map for a tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) using DNA markers. The segregation of 62 microsatellite and 112 anonymous fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) was studied in 41 haploid embryos derived from a single female. We have identified linkages among 162 (93.1%) of these markers. The map spans 704 Kosambi centimorgans in 30 linkage groups covering the 22 chromosomes of this species. Twenty-four of these linkage groups contain at least one microsatellite polymorphism. From the number of markers linked 15 or fewer cM apart we estimate a total map length of approximately 1,100 cM. High levels of interference were observed. A microsatellite polymorphism in the prolactin locus has been added to this map, and a highly suggestive linkage of the blonde color locus also has been identified. Details on the map can be accessed on the WWW at http://tilapia.unh.edu.