Abstract
R. esculentum is a popular seafood in Asian countries and an economic marine fishery resource in China. However, the high-resolution genetic map and growth-related molecular markers still lack, hindering the process of the genetic breeding of R. esculentum. Therefore, we firstly used the 2b-RAD method to sequence 152 R. esculentum specimens, identified 9100 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and constructed a high-resolution genetic map with a marker interval of 0.58 cM, covering 98.68% of the genome. Then, we separately detected four and three quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with umbrella diameter and body weight based on the linkage map, which is located on linkage group (LG) 4, 13, 14 and 15. Finally, 27 genes were found both associated with umbrella diameter and body weight of R. esculentum by genome-wide association study (GWAS), in which one gene named RE13670 containing calcium-binding EGF-like domain may play an important role in controlling the growth. This study will be beneficial for underlying the growth mechanism of R. esculentum and also provide background knowledge for guiding its genetic breeding.