A SNP marker to discriminate the european brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri), river lamprey (L. fluviatilis) and their hybrids

Background: The European River lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis and the brook lamprey L. planeri are two closely related species that are also considered as partially reproductively isolated ecotypes. At the larval stage, they cannot be distinguished morphologically or genetically by mitochondrial DNA. We aimed at developing a molecular tool to identify early life stages of L. fluviatilis and L. planeri. Methods and results: We first identified Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers with distinct alleles between L. fluviatilis and L. planeri based on RADseq data from 186 individuals collected in France. Then, we developed a quantitative PCR protocol to genotype a species-specific SNP, which was tested on 270 samples including larvae and adults from both species and 17 sites from Western Europe. Results were consistent with morphological identification in all cases except for samples from the Rhone drainage and the Loch Lomond in Scotland. Conclusions: This marker allows the identification of larval stages of L. fluviatilis, L. planeri as well as hybrids. The two cases where the marker was not diagnostic might be explained by an isolated and distinct L. planeri lineage in the Rhone drainage, and high levels of admixture among L. fluviatilis, L. planeri and the lake-parasitic form in Loch Lomond.

Automated summary

A molecular tool was developed to identify early life stages of the European River lamprey and the brook lamprey, as well as hybrids. However, the marker failed to provide accurate results in two specific cases.