Genetic variability and differentiation of common Kilka fish (Clupeonella cultriventris Nordmann, 1840) in the southern coasts of Caspian Sea

A total of 120 samples of adult common Kilka fish (Clupeonella cultriventris) were collected during spring and summer from the southern coasts of Caspian Sea (Bandar Anzali and Babolsar). Fifteen sets of microsatellite primers were developed from Clupeidae being tested on genomic DNA of common Kilka. Allele frequency, observed and expected heterozygosity, FST, RST, FIS index were determined. Five primer sets as polymorphic loci were used to analyze the genetic variation in adults of the common Kilka population. Results revealed that average alleles per locus was 13.1 (range 5 to 22 alleles per locus in regions, Ne=9.5). All sampled regions contained private alleles. Average observed and expected heterozygosity was 0.348 and 0.877, respectively. Deviations from Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium were observed in most cases. FST, RST and gene flow estimates in AMOVA and the genetic distance between populations indicated that the genetic difference among the studied populations was pronounced. The data generated in this study provide primary information on the genetic variation and differentiation in populations of Caspian common Kilka.