Publication Abstract

The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is a non-native species to Europe, but are often imported as live seafood, and have been released into local waters. These introductions threaten native populations of the European lobster (Homarus gammarus) via disease introduction, competition, direct predation and introgression.  Differentiating the two species and their hybrids based solely on morphological criteria can be difficult and unreliable. This study presents a real-time PCR assay targeting the cytochrome c oxidase gene 1 (COX1) for rapid detection and identification of H. americanus and H. gammarus. We have also designed a conventional duplex PCR from a previously described nuclear marker (Hgam98 microsatellite) which was sequenced and revealed the presence of an apparently specific H. americanus insert downstream from a variable number tandem repeat region. The combination of these assays resulted in the accurate identification of the two lobster species as well as F1 hybrid specimens.

Matt Edwards*, Charlie Ellis and Frederico Batista*