Issue 6, Fall 2008
Creating a Molecular Database for Identifying Two Subspecies of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Max R. Bangs, Joseph M. Quattro, Kenneth J. Oswald, and Jean Leitner
Two subspecies of largemouth bass, the northern largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides salmoides) and the Florida bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) occur commonly throughout the southeastern United States. Prior to 1949 the Florida bass was known only from peninsular Florida; unfortunately, due to greater maximum size and longevity the Florida subspecies has been introduced into lakes and other impoundments throughout the east coast and southern United States. This expansion of Florida bass into the habitat of northern largemouth bass could result in hybridization of the two subspecies and thus may affect the fitness of the northern largemouth bass populations in these areas. We characterized genetic diversity at one mitochondrial locus (ND2) and four single copy nuclear loci (ITS2, Actin, S7, and Calmodulin). The resulting DNA sequences were used to create a genetic database useful for differentiating these two subspecies.
Keywords: Micropterus salmoides salmoides, Micropterus salmoides floridanus, habitat expansion, subspecies, hybridization
Nicholas Burnett