Microsatellite multiplex systems for Brycon orbignyanus (Characiformes: Bryconidae)

The Neotropical migratory (piracema) fish species Brycon orbignyanus, commonly known as piracanjuba, was once considered one of the most conspicuous resources for fisheries in the La Plata River Basin, the second largest in South America, but today is considered a threatened species, almost extinct in the wild. Such scenario brings about the importance of the development of tools for the rapid assessment of genetic diversity and structure, in order to identify the impacts over dwindling stocks and to evaluate the efficiency of fish stocking activities, in this important species. Combining polymerase chain reactions of different loci, simultaneously into a single assay, provides the advantage of making the process more economically efficient. Multiplex systems of microsatellite loci are particularly useful for making it practical to perform parentage analysis in fish, an important step in the evaluation of the efficiency of stock supplementation, selective breeding programs and hatchery management. Here we present the design, development and validation of microsatellite multiplexes for B. orbignyanus.