High-density linkage maps and sex-linked markers for the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon).

We report on the construction of sex-specific high-density linkage maps and identification of sex-linked markers for the black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Overall, we identified 44 male and 43 female linkage groups (2n = 88) from the analysis of 2,306 AFLP markers segregating in three full-sib families, covering 2,378 and 2,362 cM, respectively. Twenty-one putatively homologous linkage groups, including the sex-linkage groups, were identified between the female and male linkage maps. Six sex-linked AFLP marker alleles were inherited from female parents in the three families, suggesting that the P. monodon adopts a WZ-ZZ sex-determining system. Two sex-linked AFLP markers, one of which we converted into an allele-specific assay, confirmed their association with sex in a panel of 52 genetically unrelated animals.