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We describe ten microsatellite loci isolated for the oldest lineage of extant salamandrids, the spectacled salamanders ( Salamandrina), a genus of terrestrial salamanders endemic to the Apennine peninsula (Italy). Primers were tested in 24 individuals per species, the northern species ( Salamandrina perspicillata) and the southern species ( Salamandrina terdigitata). All loci were polymorphic in S. perspicillata with number of alleles ranging from three to eleven and observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.25 to 0.83. In S. terdigitata eight loci were polymorphic, the number of alleles ranged from two to nine, and observed heterozygosity from 0.04 to 0.92. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eastern indigo snake ( Drymarchon couperi) is the longest snake in North America. Population declines due to extensive loss of habitat led to federal listing as a threatened species in 1978. Knowledge deficiencies regarding the biology of the eastern indigo snake, including population connectivity and gene flow, are impediments to the development of effective conservation and restoration strategies. We describe primers and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions to amplify 22 tetranucleotide and pentanucleotide nuclear microsatellite loci isolated from the eastern indigo snake. We tested primers using 28 shed skins representing 24 individuals from Fort Stewart, Georgia. Primers yielded an average of 4.6 alleles per locus (range 3-7) and an average observed heterozygosity of 0.63 (range 0.46-0.79). These loci should prove useful for individual identification as well as population level analyses of this federally threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve highly polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized for the frog Yerana yei. Loci were isolated from a genomic library from Y. yei enriched for (ATAG) repetitive elements. We designed primers that reliably amplified twelve polymorphic loci and tested them on 32 individuals from two populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3-20, the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged within 0.500-1.000 and 0.752-0.964 respectively, and the polymorphic information content (PIC) value ranged from 0.683-0.930. These microsatellite markers could be valuable in future research concerning the conservation genetics and molecular ecology of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleven microsatellite markers were isolated from an enriched library developed specifically for the tuco-tuco Ctenomys torquatus, using tri and tetranucleotide probes. Ten of these were successfully amplified, and only one was monomorphic for the populations that have so far been analyzed. Analysis of two different populations yielded a mean of 2.6 (Cachoeira do Sul-CAC) and 4.3 (Butiá-BUT) alleles per locus, with a range from 1 to 6. The means for observed and expected heterozygosity were also lower in the CAC population (Ho = 0.37 and He = 0.39), but in BUT they were 0.63 and 0.61 respectively. These are the first microsatellite markers reported for a Brazilian species of tuco-tuco, and will be applied to investigate the genetic structure of their populations in the widely impacted Pampa Biome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen microsatellite loci are described for the lizard Podarcis lilfordi from the Balearic Islands. Loci were isolated from partial genomic libraries that had been enriched for AAAG and ACAG repeat sequence. All loci were highly polymorphic (six to 19 alleles) in a sample of 26 individuals from the island of Dragonera. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.46 to 0.92 and 0.78 to 0.95, respectively. These loci will be used to study the evolutionary history of different forms, the occurrence of cross-islet introductions, and the validity of subspecific designations in this species . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]