A first generation microsatellite-based linkage map of the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis and its application in quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection

A first generation genetic linkage map of the Chinese mitten crab was created using 1300 microsatellite markers. Nine growth-related QTL and two sexual precocity-related QTL were identified, which will be valuable for further studies of the genetic mechanisms of development and sexual precocity, and marker-assisted selection breeding programs for this species.