Development of microsatellite loci for the fish Poecilia vivipara (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae).

Poecilia vivipara is a small fish found throughout the coastal lowlands of South America. We report the isolation and characterization of 25 microsatellite loci in this tropical fish. In 24 individuals from two populations, 18 loci were polymorphic. The loci had 2-12 alleles, expected heterozygosities of 0.194-0.836, observed heterozygosities of 0.208-0.792, and discriminatory powers of 0.202-0.872. Four loci showed significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The microsatellite loci will be useful for investigating genetic diversity and population genetic structure, which will contribute to the development of efficient conservation programs for coastal lowlands where P. vivipara occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]