Genetic diversity and population structure ofSepiella japonica(Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Decapoda) inferred by 16S rDNA variations

In order to describe the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of five populations of cuttlefish (Sepiella japonica) along with China's coasts, partial 16S rDNA (510 bp in length) was amplified from 110 individuals. The five populations of cuttlefish inhabit Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea. In total, six haplotypes were identified and formed only one clade. Among the six haplotypes, one was shared by all populations, three appeared only in a single population, two appeared in two or three populations. Pair-wise FST were not proportional to the geographical distances. Haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were low, 0.3866 ± 0.067 and 0.00120 ± 0.00081 respectively. Among the five populations, Zhoushan population exhibited the highest genetic diversity which was suggested as the better select of germplasm resources for the reproduction and releasing of S. japonica.