Abstract

In this work we introduce the initial data necessary for the development of molecular markers that could be used for microevolutionary and population genetics analyses of Mithrax spinosissimus (Decapoda: Mithracidae), the Caribbean king crab, an endangered and overexploited species from Colombia. Collections of tissue from three males were performed in October 2011 at Rosario Islands, Colombia. At the National Center for Genomic Sequencing – CNSG, we extracted its DNA and we obtained partial genomic libraries by using the 454 GSFLX pyrosequencing technology. Then, the sequences were assembled with the MIRA3 software. In the first assembly we found 394 Mbp of sequences in 238.317 reads from which 23.959 had sizes greater than 500bp finding a contig with a size of 16.436 bp possibly related to the mitochondrial genome of M. spinosissimus. In the second assembly we obtained 525 Mbp with 950.000 total loci from which 47% consisted of potentially amplified loci that carried tandem repeated sequences or possibly microsatellite DNA. In this repetition motifs we chose tri and tetranucleotide repetition motifs in reads between 150-350bp to design primers with the PRIMER3 software. By using a virtual PCR we obtained a preliminary list of 40 reads that will be evaluated to detect polymorphic loci in Colombian populations of M. spinosissimus. We expect to carry out a population genetic analysis in this species in order to generate new insights for conservation and sustainable use of this crab in artisanal fisheries for Colombia and the Caribbean Sea.

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