Genetic Structure of Natural Populations of Air-breathing Murrel Channa punctatus Bloch in the Rohilkhand Plains of India

Using transferrin polymorphs as genetic markers, we have screened the natural population of Channa punctatus Bloch that inhabited the Rohilkhand plains of India. Phenotypically, the population was in equilibrium, substantially polymorphic and panmictic with the values of mean heterozygosity (H sub(mean)), genetic diversity (H sub(T)), average probability of nonidentity of alleles (H sub(S)), components of gene diversity (D sub(ST)) and proportion of gene diversity (G sub(ST)) being 0.363, 0.542, 0.292, 0.250 and 0.462, respectively. On the basis of allele frequency data, the entire population was discernible into four distinct groups or subpopulations and each subpopulation occupied a conspicuously demarcated large area or zone. The other distinct features of the population were: an excess of homozygote BB and the nonlethality of any of the alleles with the homozygote AA being rare and appears to be under selection pressure.