Single-male paternity in coelacanths

Kathrin P. Lampert, Katrin Blassmann, Karen Hissmann, Jürgen Schauer, Peter Shunula, Zahor el Kharousy, Benjamin P. Ngatunga, Hans Fricke and Manfred Schartl ()
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Kathrin P. Lampert: University of Bochum, Evolutionary Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals, Universitätsstr
Katrin Blassmann: University of Würzburg, Physiological Chemistry
Karen Hissmann: GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel
Jürgen Schauer: GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel
Peter Shunula: PO Box 774, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Zahor el Kharousy: Deep Sea Fishing Authority Tanzania, PO Box 4199, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Benjamin P. Ngatunga: Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute, PO Box 9750, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Hans Fricke: GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel
Manfred Schartl: University of Würzburg, Physiological Chemistry

Nature Communications, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Latimeria chalumnae, a ‘living fossil,’ is of great scientific interest, as it is closely related to the aquatic ancestors of land-living tetrapods. Latimeria show internal fertilization and bear live young, but their reproductive behaviour is poorly known. Here we present for the first time a paternity analysis of the only available material from gravid females and their offspring. We genotype two L. chalumnae females and their unborn brood for 14 microsatellite loci. We find that the embryos are closely related to each other and never show more than three different alleles per locus, providing evidence for a single father siring all of the offspring. We reconstruct the father’s genotype but cannot identify it in the population. These data suggest that coelacanths have a monogamous mating system and that individual relatedness is not important for mate choice.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3488

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