Characterization of novel microsatellite loci for Myzomela cardinalis and M. rubrata honeyeaters, and cross-amplification in other species

Myzomela honeyeaters are distributed from eastern Austalia and Indonesia throughout the islands of the tropical Pacific, a biodiversity hotspot that is particularly vulnerable due to small population sizes, habitat destruction, and high levels of isolation between islands. We developed fourteen microsatellite loci for Myzomela honeyeaters from the tropical Pacific. Microsatellites were tested for polymorphism on a panel of 104 individuals. The number of alleles ranged from 3 to 23, observed heterozygosity from 0.067 to 0.913, and the fixation index from -0.143 to 0.634. Cross-amplification was tested in 18 different species and subspecies in the genus Myzomela from throughout the Pacific, Australia, and eastern Indonesian archipelago. These new microsatellites could potentially be useful in making informed conservation decisions regarding Myzomela honeyeaters on the islands of the tropical Pacific.