Isolation and characterization of ten microsatellite loci of endangered Anderson’s crocodile newt, Echinotriton andersoni

Abstract

Due to an originally small distribution range and recent habitat loss, Anderson’s crocodile newt (Echinotriton andersoni) has been steadily declining in number. For effective conservation of this species, a greater amount of genetic information is needed. Here, we isolated ten microsatellite loci of E. andersoni using three different methods, and polymorphism of these 10 loci were evaluated for 27 individuals collected from three islands. The total number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 22, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0 to 0.876. Taken together, our findings suggest that these novel loci will be applicable for conservation genetic studies across varying scales.