Isolation and characterization of nuclear microsatellite loci in the northern shrimp, Pandalus borealis

We developed and characterized 20 microsatellite primer loci for the northern shrimp Pandalus borealis. All 20 loci were polymorphic with number of alleles ranging from 3 to 36 and with observed heterozygosity between 0.04 and 0.93. In addition, we tested the utility of these markers in three related shrimp species, P. montagui, Atlantopandalus propinqvus and Dichelopandalus bonnieri. These new markers will prove useful in the identification of stock structure and hence, assessment of the commercially important species P. borealis.