As. Pac. J. Mol. Biol. & Biotech., Dec 2000 Vol 8(2) : 177

Fingerprinting of two species of the grouper, Epinephelus off the coast of Pulau Pinang

T. Abu Bakar and M.N. Sid Azizah*

School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 1] 800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia.

Received 25 August 2000 / Accepted 22 November 2000

Abstract.

Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was applied to two species of the grouper group, genus Epinephelus, E. bleekeri and E. coioides, sampled from the waters off Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Eight random primers were used in this preliminary study. This method clearly differentiated the two species with each showing different RAPD patterns for each primer used. Evidence is presented that RAPD markers are potentially useful for systematic investigation at the species level for the genus Epinepbelus.

Key Words: DNA, Epinephelus, grouper, RAP