title: Characterization of microsatellite loci in the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis.
abstract: A set of eight highly polymorphic microsatellite markers was isolated and characterized from a genomic library enriched for dinucleotide repeats in the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis. The markers were tested for polymorphism in a total of 33 turtles sampled in two natural ponds in the nature reserve of Kerkini, northern Greece. Number of alleles varied from 10 to 18, and expected heterozygosity ranged between 0.738 and 0.921. This novel set of loci will be particularly useful to assess fine-scale population structure and for parentage analysis in E. orbicularis.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Ecology Laboratory, Department of Animal Biology and Genetics, University of Florence, Via Romana 17, 50125 Florence, Italy, Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue Jeener and Brachet 12, B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium, Wetland of Kerkini Management Authority, Kerkini, Kato Poroia, Greece.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ciofi
authors.forename: Athanasia C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Tzika
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Natali
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chelazzi
authors.forename: Theodorus
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naziridis
authors.forename: Michel C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Milinkovitch