Isolation and Characterization of 12 Dinucleotide Microsatellite Loci in the Anadromous Fish Osmerus Eperlanus (L.)

A subtractive hybridization method was used to isolate 12 dinucleotide microsatellite loci for the anadromous European smelt, Osmerus eperlanus (L.). Three to 17 (mean 8.08) alleles per locus were identified in the two populations screened, and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.067 to 0.933. Loci in both populations showed significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg expected frequencies. These 12 loci provide a good basis for investigation of O. eperlanus population structure.