Development of 31 new microsatellite loci for two mole salamanders (Ambystoma laterale and A. jeffersonianum)

Abstract

Ambystoma salamanders are amphibians that due to limited dispersal abilities and reliance on wetlands for breeding are susceptible to population declines and local extinctions (Blaustein et al. 2011). Species identification within Ambystoma is especially difficult due to the presence of unisexual Ambystoma that consist of multiple all-female lineages in which clones can have between two and five nuclear genomes from up to five other Ambystoma species (Bogart et al. 2007). The majority of these unisexual Ambystoma are composed of nuclear genomes from two species, A. laterale (Blue Spotted Salamander) and A. jeffersonianum (Jefferson Salamander). We developed species-specific microsatellite markers for these two species as a tool for the identification and investigation of the genetic interactions between sexual and unisexual groups in areas where either sexual species is endangered or of special conservation concern (Ohio, Indiana, and Ontario).