Microsatellite markers for Sturnira parvidens (Illumina paired-end sequences), and cross species amplification with other bats of the genus

Background. Sturnira is one of the most species-richness in the Neotropic, and it is found from Mexico, Lesser Antilles to Argentina. Genus forms a well-supported monophyletic clade with at least twenty-one recognized species, and several under taxonomic review. Sturnira parvidens is a widespread frugivorous bat of the deciduous forest in the Neotropics, highly abundant, and a major component in the fruit dispersal to regenerate ecosystems. It can be consider a non-model organism to isolate and characterize polymorphic microsatellites.Methods. We used a technique based on Illumina paired-end sequencing of a library highly enriched for microsatellite repeats to develop loci for S. parvidens. We analyzing millions of resulting reads with specific software to extract those reads that contained di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, and hexanucleotide microsatellites.Results. We select and test 14 polymorphic (di, tri, and tetra) microsatellites. All markers were genotyped on 26 different individuals from distinct locations of its distributional area. We observed medium–high genetic variation across most loci, but only 12 were functional polymorphic. Levels of expected heterozygosity across all markers was high to medium (mean HE = 0.79, mean HO = 0.72). We probed ascertainment bias in twelve bats of the genus, obtaining null/monomorphic/polymorphic amplifications.Discussion. Illumina paired-end sequencing system is capable to identify massive microsatellite loci, expending few time, reducing costs, and providing a large amount of data. Described polymorphic loci for S. parvidens particularly, and the genus, could be suitable for further genetic analysis, including taxonomic inconsistencies, parenting/relatedness analysis, and population genetics assessments.