IDENTIFICATION OF GERM PLASM IN PSEUDOSCIAENA CROCEA TAI-CHU RACE BY AFLP

Pseudosciaena crocea, local name Large yellow croaker, is a very important economic fish in China coast. There arethree geographical populations (races) from north to south of China coast. In Zhejiang sea area,the indigen is P. crocea Dai-churace. Because the artificial weif of non indigen P. crocea Min-Uehtung race,the indigen in Fujiang sea area,in zhejiang sea areafrom 1998,the individuals captured from this area not always belong to the indigen, P. crocea Dai-chu race. But the individualsborn before 1996 must be the P. crocea Dai-chu race. Cross section of the otoliths was used to identify the age of wild Large yel-low croaker captured from the year 2001 to 2002 from Zhejiang sea area. 31 out of 100 individuals captured in 2001-2002 wereidentified to be the P. crocea Dai-chu race,the youngest was 4 year old ; the oldest was 16 year old. The germ plasm analysis byAFLP (Amplified fragment-length polymorphism) suggested that the P. crocea Dai-chu race could be divided into two types, onewas type Ⅰ of P. crocea Dai-chu race,and another was type Ⅱ of P. crocea Dai-chu race. This partition was accordant with theliterature that the Large yellow croaker in East China sea consisted of two populations,Spring Population and Autumn Population.And they were different from reproductive period. The type Ⅰ of P. crocea Dai-chu race grows quicker than the type Ⅱ. So thetype Ⅰ should be chosen as the parents in mariculture of P. crocea Dai-chu race. The AFLP fingerprint achieved by this investi-gation could be used to identify P. crocea Dai-chu race