Estudo da variação genética em Prochilodus costatus (Teleostei: Characiformes: Prochilodontidae) na bacia do Rio São Francisco, região de três Marias (MG)

Abstract

"Curimbatá-pióa ", Prochilodus costatus (Valenciennes, 1850), is an endemic species from São Francisco river basin, with migratory habits, with important ecological role and of fishing importance. The present study aimed to assess the genetic variation in Prochilodus costatus in order to verify the occurrence of population genetic structure and to produce knowledge that contributes to the conservation of the species. Genetic variation was studied at three sites downstream of the Três Marias dam (MG) through six specific microsatellites loci, isolated and characterized in this study. The loci were amplified through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and the individuals were genotyped in an automated sequencer. The statistical analyses were accomplished through the softwares GENEPOP 3.3 and FSTAT 2.9.3.2. Fish from the three sites had quite similar genetic diversity levels and they did not show genetic differentiation to each other, suggesting that P. costatus might represent a single reproductive unit in the high-middle São Francisco River. These findings are comparable to those previously obtained in the sister-species P. argenteus and should be important for futures management plans that seek the conservation of this species.