Abstract
Diversity in phenotype depend on morphometric characters and meristic counts of different population of shrimps, (Metapenaeus monoceros monoceros, Penaeus vannamei, Penaeus japonicas, Penaeus semesulacatus, Penaeus penicillatus, Penaeus monodon, Penaeus kerathurus), were measured phylogenetically to detect and compare the amount of differences in phenotypes. The results indicated that there were significant differences (P≤0.05) in most of morphometric characters and meristic counts among different groups tested. The hierarchical cluster analysis depend on quantitative phenotype shrimp species into two major groups; Penaeus vannamei, Penaeus penicillatus, Penaeus monodon and Penaeus semesulacatus species first group and Metapenaeus monoceros monoceros, Penaeus kerathurus and Penaeus japonicas species second group. With inside these major groups, the first group cleared that Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus penicillatus were grouped close together. In addition to the second group showed that Metapenaeus monoceros appears to be more phenotypically similar to that Penaeus kerathurus species than that of Penaeus japonicas. So that, it was achieved in this work that the phenotype analysis depend on a large number of morphometric characters and meristic counts, can be used to discriminate shrimp species and genotype analysis using DNA fingerprint based on microsatellites (simple sequence repeats, SSRs) fingerprinting among seven species of shrimp.

Key words: phenotype – genotype- variation- shrimp species