Isolation of compound microsatellite markers in Begonia fenicis (Begoniaceae) endemic to East and Southeast Asian islands

• Premise of the study: We developed compound microsatellite markers for Begonia fenicis, a species endemic to eastern and southeastern Asian islands, to investigate geographical genetic structure. • Methods and Results: Using the compound microsatellite marker technique, 21 markers were developed and six polymorphic markers were characterized for samples from four islands in Taiwan and southern Japan. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to six (mean = 4.33). Observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.125–0.725 (0.383) and 0.498–0.719 (0.641), and polymorphic information content was 0.371–0.664 (0.567). The interspecific transferability of the 21 markers was evaluated for eight species of the section Diploclinium from the Philippines; 15 markers were successfully amplified in one to eight species. • Conclusions: These results indicate the utility of the six microsatellite markers in B. fenicis to investigate geographical genetic structure. The transferable markers are potentially useful for other species of the section.