A rapid and simple method for distinguishing two mitten crabs ( Eriocheir sinensis and Eriocheir japonica ) in Korea using PCR-RFLP and PCR

Two species of mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis and Eriocheir japonica, are commercially valuable in Korea. Millions of their juveniles have been released in attempts to restore ecological habitat and enhance fishery resources. Due to their habitat's singularity, exact species identification should be conducted before juveniles are released. In this study, we used a highly conserved region of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene to distinguish E. sinensis from E. japonica. We designed a primer set to amplify part of the mitochondrial cyt b gene of both species and obtained 1024 base pairs (bp) of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product. These PCR products were digested with the restriction enzyme MboII and the species-specific restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns were analyzed. Also, we designed primers for the rapid identification of cyt b gene (498 bp) to distinguish E. sinensis. PCR-RFLP and PCR using new primers are a fast and inexpensive method to access species identification. This simple and rapid method can provide useful information for E. sinensis and E. japonica species identification.