Construction of a high-density linkage map and detection of sex-specific markers in .

is one of the most important farmed shrimp species in many countries. Sexual dimorphism is observed in , in which females grow faster and larger than males; therefore, a unisexual female culture of could improve the efficiency of productivity. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying sex determination in are unclear. In this study, we constructed a high-density genetic linkage map of using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) technology in a full-sib family. The final map was 3,481.98 cM in length and contained 29,757 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These SNPs were distributed on 41 sex-averaged linkage groups, with an average inter-marker distance of 0.123 cM. One haplotype, harboring five sex-specific SNPs, was detected in linkage group 1 (LG1), and its corresponding confidence interval ranged from 211.840 to 212.592 cM. Therefore, this high-density genetic linkage map will be informative for genome assembly and marker-assisted breeding, and the sex-linked SNPs will be helpful for further studies on molecular mechanisms of sex determination and unisexual culture of in the future.