Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the Indian false vampire bat Megaderma lyra

Abstract

We isolated and characterized eight microsatellite markers for Indian false vampire bat Megaderma lyra. These loci were tested on 60 individuals representing four populations, and all loci were highly polymorphic. The mean number of observed alleles per locus was 13.1 (range from 5 to 24). Observed heterozygosity values range from 0.876 to 0.982, and expected heterozygosity value were ranged from 0.986 to 1.0. Out of eight loci, only two loci deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and no pairs of loci were in linkage disequilibrium. These polymorphic markers will be useful to examine population structure, mating and dispersal behaviour, including monitoring the effect of habitat fragmentation and parental analysis.