New tetranucleotide microsatellite loci in pink abalone (Haliotis corrugata) isolated via 454 pyrosequencing

Microsatellite loci were developed for the pink abalone (Haliotis corrugata) via 454 high-throughput sequencing. From 193 tetranucleotide repeats identified from 77.5 Mb of sequence, we tested 80 loci and successfully amplified and scored 18 microsatellite markers. All loci were polymorphic with number of alleles ranging from 5 to 21. Average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.745 and 0.844, respectively. Three loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, two of which had significant deficits of heterozygotes and only one displayed statistical evidence of a null allele. None of the loci exhibited linkage disequilibrium. These loci are a valuable asset for fine-scale population genetic and paternity studies centered on the conservation and management of pink abalone.