MOLECULAR DISTINCTION OF 2 RESEMBLANT ABALONES, HALIOTIS-DISCUS-DISCUS AND HALIOTIS-DISCUS-HANNAI BY 18S RDNA SEQUENCES

Partial 18S rDNA sequences of closely related abalones, Haliotis discu s discus Reeve and H. discus hannai Ino, were compared. The sequences were multialigned with those from two other abalones (H. madaka Habe a nd H. gigantea Gmelin) and a land gastropod. The inferred 18S rDNA phy logenies indicated that the H. discus discus and H. discus hannai are closely related but distinguished presumably at the subspecies level. This is the first molecular distinction of related abalones, and this is the first report for partial 18S rDNA sequences from the genus Hali otis.