University of Isfahan Taxonomy and Biosystematics 3115-9001 8 28 2016 09 22 Microsatellite diversity of Kessler’s loach, Paraschistura kessleri (Nemacheilidae), Gunther, 1889) in Khorasan Razavi بررسی تنوع ریزماهواره‌ای سگ‌ماهی کسلر (Paraschistura kessleri (Nemacheilidae), Gunther, 1889) در خراسان رضوی 39 52 20985 10.22108/tbj.2016.20985 EN Ali Shabani Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran Hadiseh Kashiri Department of Aquatics Ecology, Faculty of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran Zohreh Ghodsi Faculty of Natural Resources and Marine Sciences, University of Tarbiat Modares, Noor, Iran Journal Article 2016 11 26 To study genetic structure of Paraschistura kessleri, a freshwater endemic species of Iran, 84 samples were collected from Kardeh, Zavin and Radkan rivers in Razavi Khorasan province and investigated with six microsatellite loci. Results indicated that Kessler's loach have proper allelic diversity (average: 9.16) and heterozygosity (average: 0.65) in studied regions. Only 4 of 18 loci-population tests were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The values of Fst and Rst as genetic differentiation indices were obtained 0.034 and 0.061, respectively. In this regard, the relatively high rate of gene flow, Nm: 7.28 could be considered as an important factor involved in low genetic differentiation obtained among the samples of investigated rivers. Also, the observed gene flow could be related to some factors including pollution, floods and life history of Kessler's loach. Results from analysis of molecular variance showed the majority of observed diversity is within populations. The highest genetic identity and distance values were observed among the samples of Radkan with Kardeh and Zavin with Radkan, respectively. Also, UPGMA dendrogram based on genetic distance showed that there are probably two separate populations of Kessler's loach in the investigated regions as Zavin was in a branch separate from Kardeh and Radkan. https://tbj.ui.ac.ir/article_20985_5a9c20ef717e389e836d95b1bcbbe975.pdf