Twenty-nine microsatellite markers for two Australian freshwater turtles, Elseya albagula and Emydura macquarii krefftii: development from 454-sequence data and utility in related taxa

Abstract

454 shotgun sequencing was used to identify thousands of in silico microsatellite loci from two Australian freshwater turtle species (Pleurodira, Chelidae), Elseya albagula and Emydura macquarii krefftii. Twenty-nine polymorphic microsatellites were subsequently developed and tested as markers, 15 for E. m. krefftii and 14 for E. albagula. The former marker set showed greater allelic richness (mean N A = 7.7, range 3–15) than the latter (mean N A = 4.4, range 2–8). Levels of expected heterozygosity were high for both marker suites (mean H E = 0.718, range 0.177–0.875; and mean H E = 0.567, range 0.317–0.827, respectively), indicating both are suitable for studies of population genetic structure, connectivity and mating systems in these taxa. Cross-species amplification in 12 other short-necked freshwater turtle taxa highlighted the potential utility of these markers in other species, notably Emydura spp., Rheodytes leukops and Elusor macrurus.