title: Microsatellite loci for the white-dotted mosquito (Culex restuans), a principal vector of West Nile virus in North America.
abstract: We characterized the first microsatellite loci in the white-dotted mosquito, Culex restuans, a critical early spring West Nile virus vector. An enrichment protocol yielded 960 positive clones of which we sequenced 300. We designed primers to amplify 29 unique di-, tri- and tetranucleotide microsatellites and chose 17 that amplified consistently across populations and were polymorphic. We developed three multiplex primer combinations for all 17 loci. A survey of 44 individuals revealed two to 20 alleles across loci, and expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.17 to 0.89. These markers will allow examination of the life history of this mysterious early season encephalitis vector.
authors.affiliation: Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University, 180 Jones Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 5668 State Farm Road, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA.
authors.forename: Dina M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Kenli
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Laura D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Kramer