A Second-Generation Genetic Linkage Map of Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)Sequence data from this article have been deposited with the EMBL/GenBank data libraries under accession nos. G68180, G68324 and BV005269, BV005594.

Abstract

Abstract We constructed a second-generation linkage map of tilapia from the F2 progeny of an interspecific cross between Oreochromis niloticus and Oreochromis aureus. The map reported here contains 525 microsatellite and 21 gene-based markers. It spans 1311 cM in 24 linkage groups, for an average marker spacing of 2.4 cM. We detected associations of sex and red color with markers on linkage group 3. This map will enable mapping and selective breeding of quantitative traits important to the economic culture of tilapia as a food fish and will contribute to the study of closely related cichlids that have undergone explosive adaptive radiation in the lakes of East Africa.