Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci from Salminus hilarii (Characiformes: Characidae)

Salminus hilarii is a carnivorous fish species which inhabits different drainages in the Neotropical region. Despite the absence of this species in the commercial freshwater fishery, it plays an important role in the food chain, keeping the ecological balance in the freshwater ecosystems. We isolated 9 polymorphic microsatellite markers with alleles varying between 6 and 17 per locus in a test population of 20 individuals. Two loci (Sh49 and Sh65) showed significant departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.05). No significant linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci was found. These loci will provide useful molecular markers to assess genetic variability of wild and captive populations used in stocking programs.