Characterization of nine novel microsatellites isolated from Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus

Nine polymorphic microsatellites were isolated from a genomic DNA library of Oreochromis mossambicus enriched with di- and tetranucleotide repeats. The three di- and six tetranucleotide-type markers were characterized in 40 Mozambique tilapia individuals collected from a local farm. The number of alleles at the nine microsatellite loci ranged from 3 to 31, with an average of 13.4/locus. The average expected heterozygosity was 0.79 (range: 0.65–0.94), whereas the average observed heterozygosity was 0.67 (range: 0.33–1). Three loci significantly deviated from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, presumably due to limited population size. Cross-species amplification was successful for seven markers in Oreochromis niloticus , a phylogenetically closely related species and for six markers in Pseudotropheus lombardi , an ornamental cichlid for which no microsatellites have been described to date. These markers could provide important tools for the determination of genetic diversity and population structure of O. mossambicus .