A new set of pure microsatellite loci in the common octopus Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 for multiplex PCR assay and their cross-amplification in O-maya Voss & Solis Ramirez, 1966

Assessing the genetic structure of cosmopolitan species is essential for conservation purposes, and it assumes particular importance in the case of commercially exploited species and model organisms. Among cephalopods, the common octopus Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 is a good example of cosmopolitan harvested species whose population structure and connectivity is still unknown in many areas of its distribution. Ten new pure microsatellite loci were isolated in Mediterranean specimens of this species and assembled in multiplex for a quickest and cheapest amplification. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 16, and the expected heterozygosity from 0.097 to 0.900. These loci have been tested in specimens from the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, and in the congeneric species O. maya. These markers will be added to the existing ones and used for the determination of genetic structure, connectivity among distant populations and stock management.