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Vol. 54, 2015
Population genetics of the fiddler crab Uca sindensis (Alcock,
1900) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodidae) from the Arabian Sea
Hsi-Te Shih1, Noor
Us Saher2,
Ehsan Kamrani3,
Peter KL Ng4,
Yu-Ching Lai1
and Min-Yun Liu5,*
1Department
of Life Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
2University
of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
3Marine
Biology Department, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas 79145, Iran
4Department
of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
119260, Republic of Singapore
5Taiwan
Ocean Research Institute, National Applied Research Laboratories,
Qieding, Kaohsiung City 85243, Taiwan
Abstract
Background: The
fiddler crab Uca
sindensis (Alcock, 1900) (Crustacea: Brachyura:
Ocypodidae) is distributed in the northern coasts of the Arabian Sea
(Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait). Its typical habitat is on high
intertidal areas with higher salinity, which might restrict its
distribution, especially within the Persian Gulf. The purpose of the
present phylogeographic
study is to understand whether the Strait of Hormuz acts as a barrier
to the gene flow of this species.
Results: The genetic analyses of the
mitochondrial 16S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), and control
region (CR) of specimens from various localities showed that there was
no genetic differentiation between the populations inside and outside
of the Persian Gulf.
Conclusions: We
conclude that the narrow Strait of Hormuz does not form a barrier for
the larval dispersal in this species. Its restricted distribution in
the northern Arabian Sea may instead be associated with its preference
for higher salinity sediments present in the coasts of this
region.
Key words:
Uca sindensis;
Phylogeography; Arabian Sea; Persian Gulf; 16S rRNA; COI; Control region
*Correspondence: E-mail: mylalex@tori.narl.org.tw
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