Polymorphic microsatellite markers for the striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis, and other mephitids

Jerry W Dragoo; Kathryn E Coan; Kristin A Moore; Scott E Henke; Robert C Fleischer; Samantha M Wisely

doi:10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02463.x

Polymorphic microsatellite markers for the striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis, and other mephitids

Mol Ecol Resour. 2009 Jan;9(1):383-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02463.x.

Authors

Jerry W Dragoo¹, Kathryn E Coan, Kristin A Moore, Scott E Henke, Robert C Fleischer, Samantha M Wisely

Affiliation

¹ Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 87131 NM, USA School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 87131 NM, USA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 87131 NM, USA Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A & M University - Kingsville, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA Genetics Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.

PMID: 21564657
DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02463.x

Abstract

We report 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci primers developed for striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), a widespread mesocarnivore in North America. Numbers of alleles in these loci ranged from seven to 14 and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.76 to 1.0. These primers will be useful for studying population dynamics of skunks where rabies is endemic and will be useful to estimate genetic relatedness among females sharing winter dens. Most of these primers amplify across species within the Mephitidae.