Sex-related gene and sex identification of Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon (Ciconiiformes : Threskiornithidae)

The Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) is a critical endangered species of the world. At present, a reintroduction program will be conducted to save this species essentially. However, because the Crested Ibise is a sexual alike b ird, it is very difficult to identify the sex from the morphological charac ter. In order to identify the sex easily and select the right individuals f or captive breeding and reintroduction, the sex related gene on W chromosom e was amplified and the sex of three Crested Ibises were also Identified in the present study. The 262bp fragment was also sequenced, and we found tha t there were 13 different nucleotide sites with 2.25 of transition/transver sion based on the comparison with that of the Oriental White Stork. The seq uence will also provide a theoretic base for further designing specific pri mer for sex related gene in the Crested Ibis.