A set of 13 polymorphic microsatellite markers
were isolated and characterized from a genomic library
enriched for dinucleotide repeats in the European pine
marten Martes martes. Microsatellite loci amplification
was tested on a panel of 12 tissue samples and 9 distinct
hair samples collected from either road-killed or trapped
animals in Tuscany, Italy. Allelic diversity was 6 and the
number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 10. Mean
observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.610 (range:
0.238–0.905) and 0.698 (range: 0.400–0.856), respectively.
This novel set of microsatellite loci will be particularly
useful for non-invasive genetic studies to assess population
distribution and patterns of population structure and dispersal
of M. martes in woodlands and fragmented habitats.
