Polymorphic microsatellite markers in the painted dragon lizard, Ctenophorus pictus

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comWe isolated eight polymorphic microsatellite markers from the painted dragon, Ctenophorus pictus, from a genomic library simultaneously enriched for a suite of di-, tri- and tetranucleotide repeat units. Genetic variation was assessed in 40 individuals from populations in Victoria and South Australia. The number of alleles per locus ranged from four to 45 with observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.23 to 0.95. These markers will be useful for studies of natural and sexual selection and the effects of habitat fragmentation in semiarid Australia.Jeremy J. Austin, Rebecca J. Rose and Jane Melvill

Novel microsatellite loci identified from the Australian eastern small-eyed snake (Elapidae: Rhinocephalus nigrescens) and cross species amplification in the related genus Suta

A total of 15 microsatellite primers pairs were developed for the Australian small-eyed snake Rhinoplocephalus nigrescens. Five primers were used to screen 93 individuals of R. nigrescens and were also tested against eight species of the closely related genus Suta. Allelic diversity in R. nigrescens was high in three loci (12-27) and there was high heterozygosity (0.58-0.82). Observed heterozygosity did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg expectations for the five loci tested. These primers will be useful in studies of population genetics and mating systems of small-eyed snakes and related species. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd