Identification of microsatellite markers in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

We isolated and characterized microsatellite markers for the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, an important model species for studies in various areas of evolutionary biology and ecology. A microsatellite-enriched genomic library was constructed and screened with single stranded oligonucleotide probes [(CCT)(17), (AAT)(17) and (CAG)(17)]. Forty-five primer pairs were designed of which 19 pairs produced successful amplification. Polymorphism screening involved beetles from five beetle strains and revealed 15 polymorphic and four monomorphic markers. The development of polymorphic microsatellite markers will facilitate future ecological and genetic studies involving T. castaneum beetles.