Development of microsatellite markers for the wetland grasshopper Stethophyma grossum

Abstract

Stethophyma grossum is a threatened Eurosiberian grasshopper species. Since it is bound to wetlands, S. grossum is often used as indicator for extensive wet meadows. To study its movement capability and dispersal habitat in landscape genetic analyses, we developed ten polymorphic microsatellite markers, making use of next generation sequencing. Markers were tested on 75 individuals collected in five populations from Switzerland. We found four to 18 alleles per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosities varied between 0.215–0.893 and 0.397–0.831, respectively. One marker seems to be sex-chromosome X-linked and one showed high null allele frequencies, a phenomenon generally detected in microsatellite studies on grasshoppers.