Individual identification of Chinese alligator Alligator sinensis with SSR and mtVNTR molecular markers

The Chinese alligator is an endemic species in China. To prevent its genetic depression and protect genetic diversities in the current population, individual identification of alligators is an essential issue for the reconstruction of pedigrees of animals bred in captivity. Therefore, SSR and mtVNTR markers were adopted to discriminate 39 individual alligators sampled from a captive population and skeletons. The result showed that the cumulate power of discrimination (CDP) and cumulate probability of paternity exclusion (CPE) of 8 SSR loci were 0.9968 and 0.7697 respectively and the power of discrimination (DP) of mtVNTR was 0.9146. A combined analysis of 8 SSR loci and mtVNTR gave out the CDP value at 0.9997, showing a powerful ability in distinguishing individual alligator s. In the present study, all individuals are clearly labeled with SSR loci and mtVNTR molecular markers that will be useful in individual identification and pedigree construction.