Development of microsatellite markers in the Australasian snake-necked turtle Chelodina rugusa and cross-species amplification

E A Alacs; M J Hillyer; A Georges; N N Fitzsimmons; J M Hughes

doi:10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02389.x

Development of microsatellite markers in the Australasian snake-necked turtle Chelodina rugusa and cross-species amplification

Mol Ecol Resour. 2009 Jan;9(1):350-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02389.x.

Authors

E A Alacs¹, M J Hillyer, A Georges, N N Fitzsimmons, J M Hughes

Affiliation

¹ Institute for Applied Ecology and National Centre for Forensic Studies, University of Canberra, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia Australian Rivers Institute, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia.

PMID: 21564647
DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02389.x

Abstract

Seventeen microsatellite loci were developed for the snake-necked turtle, Chelodina rugosa (Ogilby, 1890). Sixteen of the loci were polymorphic but three of these loci had null alleles. One locus displayed linkage disequilibrium. These 17 markers were tested for amplification in eight congeneric species with varying success; 98% amplification in Chelodina burrungandjii, 72% in C. canni, 38% in C. expansa, 58% in C. longicollis, 67% in C. mccordi, 73% in C. oblonga, 81% in C. parkeri, and 68% in C. pritchardi. These microsatellite markers will be useful for population assignment, gene flow, mating systems and hybridization studies in the genus Chelodina.