Characterization of 32 microsatellite loci for the Pacific red snapper, Lutjanus peru, through next generation sequencing.

We developed a set of hypervariable microsatellite markers for the Pacific red snapper (Lutjanus peru), an economically important marine fish for small-scale fisheries in the west coast of Mexico. We performed shotgun genome sequencing with the 454 XL titanium chemistry and used bioinformatic tools to search for perfect microsatellite loci. We selected 66 primer pairs that were synthesized and genotyped in an ABI PRISM 3730XL DNA sequencer in 32 individuals from the Gulf of California. We estimated levels of genetic diversity, deviations from linkage and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, estimated the frequency of null alleles and the probability of individual identity for the new markers. We reanalyzed 16 loci in 16 individuals to estimate genotyping error rates. Eighteen loci failed to amplify, 16 loci were discarded due to unspecific amplifications and 32 loci (14 tetranucleotide and 18 dinucleotide) were successfully scored. The average number of alleles per locus was 21 (±6.87, SD) and ranged from 8 to 34. The average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.787 (±0.144 SD, range 0.250-0.935) and 0.909 (±0.122 SD, range 0.381-0.965), respectively. No significant linkage was detected. Eight loci showed deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and from these, four loci showed moderate null allele frequencies (0.104-0.220). The probability of individual identity for the new loci was 1.46-62. Genotyping error rates averaged 9.58%. The new markers will be useful to investigate patterns of larval dispersal, metapopulation dynamics, fine-scale genetic structure and diversity aimed to inform the implementation of spatially explicit fisheries management strategies in the Gulf of California.