Development of Microsatellite Markers for Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)

New microsatellite markers were developed for Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) by constructing a library for microsatellite DNA. Construction and characterization of the library are described in the present study. Twenty microsatellite markers were developed from a (AC)15 enriched microsatellite DNA library. Among the twenty microsatellite loci, ten (50%) were polymorphic, where as the rest were monomorphic (with two to four alleles per locus). The microsatellite sequences obtained could be classified structurally into perfect repeats (80%) and imperfect repeats (20%). No incomplete repeat type was observed. These markers were tested in five individuals of the same species and these tests resulted in twenty new microsatellites markers for C. siamensis. Low number of alleles (1-4 alleles) with an average of 1.7 alleles per locus was observed. The average length of uninterrupted repeats from the selected clones was 12.3.