Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed in the neotropical tree species Cariniana legalis (Lecythidaceae) to investigate its genetic diversity, mating system, and gene flow. •
Methods and results: We identified 96 clones containing 82 repeat motifs from a genomic library enriched for (CT)8 and (GT)8 motifs. Primer pairs were developed for 13 microsatellite loci and validated in 51 C. legalis specimens and 26 C. estrellensis specimens. Eleven loci were polymorphic, revealing a maximum of two to 15 alleles per locus in C. legalis and three to 12 in C. estrellensis. For C. legalis, the observed (H o) and expected (H e) heterozygosities ranged from 0 to 0.99 and from 0.07 to 0.90, respectively. For C. estrellensis, H o and H e ranged from 0 to 0.96 and from 0.14 to 0.91, respectively. •
Conclusions: The primers identified polymorphic loci that are suitable to study genetic diversity and structure, mating system, and gene flow in C. legalis and the related species C. estrellensis.
Keywords: Brazilian Atlantic forest; Cariniana legalis; conservation genetics; microsatellite markers; population genetics; tropical tree species.