Characterization of microsatellite loci in the aphid species Macrosiphoniella tanacetaria (Homoptera, Aphididae)

Measuring dispersal in small insects can now be achieved through the development of highly polymorphic molecular markers. We isolated eight microsatellites in the aphid species Macrosiphoniella tanacetaria Kaltenbach, feeding on the common Tansy ( Tanacetum vulgare L.). For each locus, we observed between three and seven alleles and expected heterozogosities ranged between 0.29 and 0.76 within 45 individuals (five aphids/population 〈 nine populations = 45). First analyses revealed that all individuals had different genotypes, showing a great potential variability within and between populations, facilitating the further study of dispersal in aphids.