Development of ten polymorphic microsatellite loci for three closely related chameleons in Madagascar: Furcifer lateralis, Furcifer major, and Furcifer viridis

The three chameleon species Furcifer lateralis, Furcifer viridis, and Furcifer major are endemic to Madagascar, and are of conservation importance because they are exported in high numbers in the pet trade. These species represent a recently evolved species complex, with relatively low levels of genetic differentiation for nuclear genes. We here characterize 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci that are variable across the three species. These loci are the first microsatellites to be developed for any Malagasy chameleon. Allelic diversity greatly differs among loci, ranging from 4 to 40. This is also true of observed heterozygosity, with values ranging from 0 to 0.96. These microsatellite loci are expected to be useful for detecting potential hybridization at the contact zones between these species.