Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized in Mimulus ringens (Phrymaceae), a herbaceous wetland perennial, to facilitate studies of mating patterns and population genetic structure. •
Methods and results: A total of 42 polymorphic loci were identified from a sample of 24 individuals from a single population in Ohio, USA. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to nine, and median observed heterozygosity was 0.435. •
Conclusions: This large number of polymorphic loci will enable researchers to quantify male fitness, patterns of multiple paternity, selfing, and biparental inbreeding in large natural populations of this species. These markers will also permit detailed study of fine-scale patterns of genetic structure.