Characterization of nuclear DNA microsatellite markers in the ant <i>Cataglyphis cursor</i>

Abstract

Abstract The ant Cataglyphis cursor is exceptional in that unmated workers are potentially able to lay both male and female eggs. We characterized eight pairs of primers for microsatellite loci, developed from genomic DNA for this species. Variability was tested with DNA from 19 workers and all eight loci were highly polymorphic, displaying 5–10 alleles and a high level of heterozygosity. Cross‐species amplifications indicate that these microsatellites might be useful in genetic studies of other species belonging to the genus Cataglyphis .