Isolation and characterisation of microsatellite markers for Mylothris jacksoni knutsoni (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), an endemic butterfly of the Gulf of Guinea Highlands
Abstract
Eight polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed and characterized for the Mylothris jacksoni knutsoni, an endemic butterfly of endangered montane habitats of the Gulf of Guinea Highlands, West/Central Africa. The loci were tested for polymorphism in 30 individuals from the Nkogam Massif, western Cameroon.
The detected numbers of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 5, and the observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.200 to 0.867, and from 0.186 to 0.739, respectively. All loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and no evidence of linkage disequilibrium was found.
Despite its uniqueness, the biota of this area is still understudied and this is the first study describing microsatellite loci for any African species of the Pieridae family, as well as of any butterfly of the study area.