Assessment of the Genetic Diversity and Structure of the Korean Endemic Freshwater Fish Microphysogobio longidorsalis (Gobioninae) Using Microsatellite Markers: A First Glance from Population Genetics.

Microphysogobio longidorsalis is endemic to South Korea and inhabits small areas of the Namhangang, Bukhangang, and Imjingang Rivers in the Hangang River water system. Endemic species usually are more vulnerable than species with a wide distribution. Notably, there is a lack of basic conservation data for M. longidorsalis. We analyzed 19 microsatellite loci in six populations of M. longidorsalis in South Korea to characterize their population structure and genetic diversity. The genetic diversity of the microsatellites was 0.741-0.779, which is lower than that of other freshwater fishes. The pairwise genetic differentiation of microsatellite (FST) values ranged from 0.007 to 0.041, suggesting low genetic differentiation between the populations. The Jojongicheon stream population (CP) had an effective population size of <100. Therefore, conservation efforts are required to prevent inbreeding depression in M. longidorsalis. Discriminant analysis of principal components showed that the Hangang River water system would be a single management unit (MU). Our findings provide fundamental genetic insights for the formulation of conservation strategies for M. longidorsalis.

Genetic Structure and Genetic Diversity of the Endemic Korean Aucha Perch, Coreoperca herzi (Centropomidae), in Korea.

The Korean endemic aucha perch, Coreoperca herzi, belongs to the family Centropomidae. Thus far, studies on C. herzi have focused on mitochondrial genomes, egg development, and early life history, while studies on their genetic diversity or genetic structure are lacking. We investigated these aspects in this study using mitochondrial DNA data. Haplotypes were divided into the Hangang River, Nakdonggang River, Geumgang River, and southwest region water system populations. A translocated population, the Yangyang Namdaechun Stream, was confirmed to have originated from the Hangang River water system population based on haplotype distribution and genetic structure results. The FST of the mitochondrial DNA indicated distinct genetic differentiation in the Hangang, Nakdonggang, Geumgang, and southwest regions. According to COI and analyses, the analysis of molecular variance revealed a higher variance in the four water system groups (98.41%) than in the southwest region water system versus the Hangang River water system (80.27%) groups. This study presents basic data for conservation by providing extensive information on the genetic diversity, genetic structure, and translocation population of C. herzi.

Population structure and genetic diversity of the endangered fish black shinner Pseudopungtungia nigra (Cyprinidae) in Korea: a wild and restoration population.

The black shinner Pseudopungtungia nigra Mori, 1935 is an endangered fish endemic to Korea. It lives in the narrow basin of the Geumgang River, Mangyeonggang River, and Ungcheoncheon Stream, which flow into the West Sea of Korea. One population of P. nigra in Ungcheoncheon Stream has been locally exterminated once; it is now inhabiting the upper reaches of the dam through a restoration program. Efforts to identify and understand the genetic structure of these populations are important for conservation planning. Here, we analyzed genetic diversity using 21 microsatellite markers for 9 populations. The mean number of alleles ranged from 4.4 to 8.1, mean allelic richness ranged from 4.6 to 7.8, mean observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.519 to 0.702, and mean expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.540 to 0.763. All groups had recent and historical bottlenecks (P < 0.05, M-ratio < 0.68). Three groups [YD (2019), OC and UC] had significant inbreeding index values, suggesting that they were engaged in inbreeding. We observed a moderate level of genetic differentiation between MG and the rest of the population (FST = 0.135 to 0.168, P < 0.05). The genetic structure exhibited a fitting constant K = 2, along with separation between MG and the remaining populations. With respect to genetic flow, YD (2019), OC, CG, and ND shifted to the UC population (0.263 to 0.278). The genetic flow of each population was transferred only within the population; there was no gene flow among populations, except for the Ungcheoncheon Stream population. This study shows that the Ungcheoncheon Stream population needs conservation efforts to increase its genetic diversity, and the Geumgang River populations needs a conservation plan that considers the possibility of conservation and evolution through gene exchange among the populations.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered freshwater fish Odontobutis obscurus from Korea.

We report the first complete mitochondrial genome of Odontobutis obscurus, which consists of 17,038 bp harboring 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a control region (D-loop). The overall base composition of the complete genome is A (30.63%), C (28.72%), T (25.70%), G (14.95%). The complete mitogenome of Odontobutis obscurus, most closely related to congeners in the Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood tree, provides a better understanding of the phylogeny of the genus Odontobutis.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered freshwater fish Kichulchoia brevifasciata in Korea.

Kichulchoia brevifasciata is an endangered fish that is distributed across the Goheung Peninsula, South Korea. This is the first report of the complete mitochondrial genome of K. brevifasciata, which consists of 16,646 bp with 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a control region (D-loop). The overall base composition of the complete genome is A (29.57%), T (28.08%), G (16.54%), and C (25.80%), with a high A + T content of 57.65%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that K. brevifasciata was most closely related to K. multifasciatas.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the hybrid species Pungtungia herzi (♀) × Pseudopungtungia nigra (♂) from Korea.

This study reports the complete mitochondrial genome of a Pungtungia herzi (♀) × Pseudopungtungia nigra (♂) hybrid. The P. herzi (♀) × P. nigra (♂) mitochondrial genome consists of 16,601 bp with 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a control region (D-loop). The overall base composition of the complete mitochondrial genome is 29.99% A, 26.97% T, 17.11% G, and 25.92% C. In the phylogenetic tree, P. herzi (♀) × P. nigra (♂) is closer to P. herzi than to P. nigra. Obtaining the complete mitogenome of P. herzi (♀) × P. nigra (♂) will provide useful data regarding P. herzi and P. nigra conservation and evolution.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Chionoecetes japonicus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Majoidea).

The complete mitochondrial genome of Chionoecetes japonicus was sequenced using a specimen collected offshore in the East Sea. The genome includes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a control region (D-loop), with a total length of 16,060 bp. The overall nucleotide composition was 34.91% A, 17.29% C, 10.93% G, and 36.87% T, with 71.78% A + T. In the phylogenetic tree was constructed using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses, C. japonicus and C. japonicus pacificus formed a genetic clade that was sister to C. opilio.