Investigation into the mode of inheritance of allozyme and random amplified polymorphic DNA markers in tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters)

Feral Australian Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters) (Pisces: Cichlidae) and a n interspecific hybrid population (most probably originally derived from cr osses of O. mossambicus and O. niIoticus stocks) were used as model organis ms to study the inheritance patterns of 24 allozyme loci and 31 random ampl ified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) loci in tilapia. Single-paired matings of pare nts of known genotype were used to generate families, and 10-15 full-sib of fspring from each mating were used to test for mode of inheritance. The maj ority of allozyme and RAPD loci tested segregated in a Mendelian fashion. A llozyme markers in general showed codominant inheritance patterns, while RA PD markers conformed to expectations for band presence/ absence under a dom inant allele model. Although only a small number of families and offspring were used, the results highlight the suitability of allozymes and RAPDs as genetic markers for population analysis in tilapia.