Polymorphic microsatellite markers for the gliding marsupials Petaurus australis and Petaurus breviceps

Abstract

Habitat destruction is causing population decline of many hollow dependent species such as gliding marsupials of the Family Petauridae. Three petaurid species are now listed in some Australian states as either threatened, rare or vulnerable, precipitating a need for information on their basic biology and population structure. We isolated and characterized three polymorphic microsatellite loci from the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis) and six polymorphic microsatellite loci from the sugar glider (P. breviceps). Per-locus heterozygosities range from 42%–92%, and cross-species amplification studies show that between five and seven loci are polymorphic in the two target species as well as a related species P. norfolcensis.