Development and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers for Periplaneta americana (Blattodea: Blattidae)

The American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Blattodea: Blattidae), is a prevalent urban pest with significant public health implications. This study aimed to develop and validate novel microsatellite markers to understand the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of P. americana. In this study, a total of 397,898 microsatellite markers were developed based on 24.6 million genomic DNA sequences. Twenty microsatellite markers were selected and amplified with varying numbers of alleles ranging from 0 to 35. Seven out of 20 markers were characterized for their polymorphism and amplification efficiency. The polymorphic information content (PIC) values of these markers were high (0.669 to 0.950) implying their effectiveness. These markers also revealed 7 to 35 alleles per locus across tested samples, highlighting their utility in assessing the extensive genetic variation within Periplaneta americana populations. These results provide insightful information that may be applied to the genetic analysis of the American cockroach population using the developed species-specific microsatellite marker.