Isolation and characterization of novel dinucleotide repeat microsatellites in the Jamaican click beetle Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

Abstract

We report 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the Jamaican click beetle, Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus. A survey of 36 individuals from three populations in Jamaica showed that these are highly variable, with three to 17 alleles per locus. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.250 to 0.917, and mean heterozygosity from 0.601 to 0.747. Most loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, although excess of homozygotes was observed in four tests (out of 20), suggesting the possibility of null alleles. Significant linkage disequilibrium was observed for only one pair. These newly developed markers will be useful in understanding the population structure of click beetles in Jamaica, and in identifying possible selective factors responsible for bioluminescent colour variation. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.