Isolation and characterization of 20 polymorphic microsatellites loci for Xenocypris davidi based on high-throughput sequencing

Xenocypris davidi is one of the most economically important freshwater fish in China. However, few molecular markers have been reported for this species, impeding in-depth population genetic, dispersal, and gene flow studies. In the present study, a batch of novel polymorphic microsatellites from the genome of X. davidi were isolated and characterized using high-throughput sequencing. A total of 20 microsatellite markers were isolated. Analysis of 33 individuals revealed an average of 7.35 alleles per locus, ranging from 3 to 18. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.3 to 1 and from 0.426 to 0.93, respectively. Only one tested locus significantly deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. 18 microsatellite loci were highly polymorphic (PIC > 0.5). These newly isolated microsatellite markers would be useful to study the population genetics and stock management of X. davidi.