Identification and characterization of 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci for a member of the Herpestidae (<i>Mungos mungo</i>)

Abstract

Abstract In most cooperative breeders, reproductive skew is high. However, in the banded mongoose, Mungos mungo , multiple females reproduce concurrently within a social group, indicating that skew is relatively low in this species. In order to evaluate the degree of reproductive skew in the banded mongoose, we identified 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci for parentage analysis. Markers were found to have low levels of variability in this cooperative breeder, and several loci were found to be polymorphic in another member of the Herpestidae, the slender‐tailed meerkat ( Suricata suricatta ). For the banded mongoose, this suite of polymorphic loci provides a paternity exclusion of over 90%.