An evaluation of primers for microsatellite markers in Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) and their performance in a Peruvian wild population

Abstract

Primer pairs were designed for 41 di-nucleotide microsatellite loci identified from across the full genome of the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao). We present the best 30 polymorphic loci with 5–22 alleles, 3–14 effective alleles and expected heterozygosities of 0.669–0.930. These markers will facilitate population genetic and conservation genetic studies on macaws.