Development of 36 SNP markers in Ophiocephalus argus Cantor based on high-throughput sequencing

The Channa argus (Ophicephalus argus Cantor) is an endemic freshwater species which is widely distributed in the lower Yellow and Yangtze river systems in eastern China. The Ophicephalus argus is a high commercially valuable aquaculture fish in China. Due to river fragmentation, over-fishing, and water pollution, the wild population of Ophiocephalus argus suffered a dramatic decline. In the present study, 38 novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were developed based on high-throughput sequencing. Genetic diversity analysis revealed that the values of observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity varied from 0.1024 to 0.7033 and from 0.3638 to 0.8266, respectively, and the minor allele frequency ranged from 0.1911 to 0.6422. Only three loci showed significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. These SNP markers will serve as a valuable tool for further population genetics, genetic breeding, and resource conservation in this species.