Investigation into the mode of inheritance of allozyme and random amplified polymorphic DNA markers in tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters)

Feral Australian Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters) (Pisces: Cichlidae) and an interspecific hybrid population (most probably originally derived from crosses of O. mossambicus and O. niloticus stocks) were used as model organisms to study the inheritance patterns of 24 allozyme loci and 31 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) loci in tilapia. Single‐paired matings of parents of known genotype were used to generate families, and 10–15 full‐sib offspring from each mating were used to test for mode of inheritance. The majority of allozyme and RAPD loci tested segregated in a Mendelian fashion. Allozyme markers in general showed co‐dominant inheritance patterns, while RAPD markers conformed to expectations for band presence/absence under a dominant allele model. Although only a small number of families and offspring were used, the results highlight the suitability of allozymes and RAPDs as genetic markers for population analysis in tilapia.