Novel microsatellite markers for the saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow, Ammodramus caudacutus (Aves: Passeriformes)

CHRISTOPHER E. HILL¹, SCOTT TOMKO¹, CRIS HAGEN², NANCY A. SCHABLE², and
TRAVIS C. GLENN²

¹Department of Biology, Coastal Carolina University, PO Box 261958, Conway, SC 29528, USA
²Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA

Abstract: We have developed eight high-quality microsatellite DNA loci for the saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow and one additional locus with evidence of null alleles. In a sample of 250–350 individuals, the average number of alleles per locus was 14.7 and average observed heterozygosity was 0.80. These loci were tested in three additional species of emberizid sparrows, indicating that more than half of the loci could be useful in other sparrows.