Microsatellite markers for species of the genus Dionda (Cyprinidae) from the American southwest

Thirty-eight microsatellite markers were developed from an enriched genomic DNA library of the cyprinid fish (minnow) Dionda episcopa. The microsatellites include 31 perfect-repeat motifs (29 dinucleotide, 1 trinucleotide, and 1 tetranucleotide) and 7 imperfect-repeat dinucleotide motifs. The microsatellite primers were used to amplify microsatellites from five related congeners: D. argentosa, D. diaboli, D. episcopa, D. nigrotaeniata, and D. serena. One species (D. diaboli) is listed as threatened and critically imperiled and two species (D. argentosa and D. serena) are listed as imperiled; the conservation status of D. nigrotaeniata is unknown. The number of experimentally tractable microsatellite markers varied from 28 for D. diaboli to 34 for D. episcopa. The number of polymorphic microsatellites conforming to Hardy-Weinberg expectations (following Bonferroni correction) ranged from 19 (D. diaboli) to 27 (D. argentosa). One pairwise comparison of microsatellites (in D. nigrotaeniata) deviated significantly from expectations of genotypic equilibrium. The microsatellite markers will be useful for conservation and population-genetic studies of these and other species in genus Dionda.