Development of a microsatellite DNA parentage marker suite for black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

Twenty-three published Penaeus monodon microsatellites were screened for inclusion in a DNA parentage marker suite by examining their ease of amplification, reliability of allele calling and Mendelian inheritance in an Australian captive population. Seven highly polymorphic markers (mean He = 0.87 and PIC = 0.84) were identified from the original 23 as being suitable for inclusion in the parentage marker suite. These seven microsatellites were evaluated for their combined ability to assign parentage to progeny from 13 families where genealogy was known. All progeny were correctly assigned to their true parents highlighting the usefulness of this marker suite to retain pedigree information in this species. Further, simulations based on broodstock allele frequencies suggested that the marker suite would be robust enough to identify progeny from up to 20 communally stocked families.This study highlights the importance of properly evaluating individual microsatellite markers before undertaking parentage analyses.