Isolation and characterization of eleven microsatellite loci in an endangered species, Mountain Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus nipalensis)

Abstract

The Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Spizaetus nipalensis, is a large bird of prey that is found in mountainous forests of Southeast and East Asia and is listed as an endangered species in Japan. Eleven microsatellite markers for this species were developed from enriched genomic libraries and were used to analyze 22 samples collected in Japan. The primers amplified clear codominant fragments. The number of alleles observed for each locus ranged from 2 to 6 (average 3.67). The effective number of alleles ranged from 1.38 to 4.91 (average 2.64). The degree of polymorphism expressed as expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.274 to 0.797 (average 0.560). These figures were somewhat lower than those reported for other birds of prey.