Multiple paternity assessed in the cuttlefish sepiella japonica (Mollusca, cephalopoda) using microsatellite markers

Abstract

Multiple paternity was demonstrated for seven clutches of eggs and 40 offspring sampled from these clutches in the cuttlefish Sepiella japonica from Fujian Shacheng Harbor Cultivation Base (Fujian Province, China), using four microsatellite DNA markers. It was observed that female cuttlefish copulated with different males. In this study, genotyping data suggest that at least three paternal allele genotypes were present in all seven clutches indicating that at least two males were responsible for each brood. Combined with behavioral observations, this study provides evidence for sperm competition and multiple paternity in S. japonica.