Characterisation of nine new polymorphic microsatellite loci in the reticulated glass frog Hyalinobatrachium valerioi (Centrolenidae).

Abstract

Here we document the development of thirteen novel microsatellite markers for the reticulated glass frog Hyalinobatrachium valerioi (Centrolenidae). Nine of those markers were polymorphic and contained between 4 and 34 alleles per locus (mean = 20.3) in 138 individuals (91 males, 47 females) from the field site 'La Gamba', Costa Rica. Average observed heterozygosity was 0.76. Two loci (Hyval19 and Hyval21) significantly deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We did not find evidence for linkage disequilibrium among any of the loci. These markers will serve to identify the genetic mating system in H. valerioi, investigate gene flow between local populations, and reconstruct parent-offspring relationships for studies on individual mating and reproductive success. Therefore, these markers will serve to answer a wide range of scientific questions in conservation, behavioural ecology, and also evolutionary biology.