Characterization of nine microsatellite loci in the European polecat Mustela putorius

We developed a set of nine polymorphic microsatellite markers from a genomic library enriched for dinucleotide repeats in the European polecat Mustela putorius. Microsatellite loci amplification was tested on fresh tissues and museum samples collected over the last 40 years in central and northern Italy. Number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 7. Mean observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.48 and 0.61, respectively. This novel set of species-specific microsatellite loci will be particularly useful to assess fine patterns of genetic structure and degree of isolation of European polecat populations.