Twelve novel microsatellite markers for the marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum

Schyler O. Nunziata^1,2, David E. Scott¹, Kenneth L. Jones³, Cris Hagen¹, and Stacey L. Lance¹

¹Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
²Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY 40475, USA
³Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine,
University of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045, USA

Abstract: We isolated and characterized a total of 12 microsatellite loci from the marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum. Loci were screened in 24 individuals from a single location on the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 15, observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.167 to 0.917, and the probability of identity values ranged from 8.5 x 10^-2 to 3.2 x 10^-1. These new loci will provide tools for examining the genetic diversity, structure, and mating system of A. opacum populations.