POPULATION-GENETICS OF PENAEID SHRIMP FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO

Three species of penaeid shrimp were analyzed for allozymic variation. Individuals from four collections of each species from widely separated locations in the. Gulf of Mexico were used to determine the amount of genic variation within and genetic differentiation among collec tions. Twenty-four loci were studied in each species and values were obtained for mean proportion of loci polymorphic in a population and average gene diversity within subpopulation. Nei's method of partitioning gene diversity in a subdivided population was employed. The values of absolute degree of gene differentiation, coefficient of gene differentiation, and mean gene identity between subpopulations indicate an absence of genetic differentiation among populations within species of Pent in the Gulf of Mexico. It is concluded that gene flow via larval dispersal and/or juvenile and adult movements is responsible for genetic continuity throOgh out the Gulf of Mexico. © 1979 AMERICAN GENETIC ASSOCIATION.