Discrimination among species of the genus Sebastes in the North Atlantic by random amplified polymorphic DNA.

Genetic variation among and within species of the genus Sebastes [ S. viviparus , S. fasciatus , S. mentella (including deep-sea and oceanic types) and S. marinus (both ordinary and giant types)] from the North Atlantic was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Initial analyses were based on 80 different 10 base pair primers applied to a small number of individuals of each of the four species. Four of the most variable primers were selected for analysis of the total samples from Norway, Iceland and Canada. Only one primer, OPA20, could be used to diagnostically distinguish among species. Statistical analysis clustered all samples in relation to known species structure. No genetic distance was found between ordinary and giant-type S. marinus and minor differences were observed between S. viviparus from Iceland and Norway. Sebastes mentella from the different locations clustered together, but some structuring was shown within this species. Twelve untyped Sebastes and S. fasciatus from Gulf of St. Lawrence clustered closer to S. viviparus than to S. marinus and S. mentella . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]