Origin of the widely and discontinuously distributed mitochondrial genotypes of Oryzias latipes: introduced or native genotypes?

A mitochondrial cytochrome b genotype of Oryzias latipes , “mitotype B15”, is widely and discontinuously distributed in various localities in Japan. To re-examine the origin of mitotype B15 detected in various localities, we conducted a sequence analysis of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene region. Twenty-eight haplotypes were defined among mitotype B15 fish from 23 localities throughout Japan. Most of the haplotypes detected in each area are unique to the location and genetically closely related to each other, indicating that they are native haplotypes. Our results suggest that ND2 analysis is important for identifying native populations of O. latipes .