Development and characterisation of 20 novel microsatellite markers for the little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) using next-generation sequencing

The world’s smallest penguin, Eudyptula minor , exhibits substantial mtDNA differentiation among populations, suggesting the possibility of multiple taxa. We developed 20 new microsatellite loci that potentially provide a powerful system for assessing nuclear genetic differentiation and taxonomic status of Eudyptula populations. Alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 26 and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.317 to 0.939.