Twenty polymorphic microsatellite markers in the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica)

The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) is driven to a single habitat in Gir forests in India for its survival. In order to devise adequate conservation and management strategies for this critically endangered species, it is important to characterize its genetic diversity and understand its population structure. Here we report twenty microsatellite loci, in addition to seven reported earlier, from the genome of a pure Asiatic lion. The microsatellite loci described here will provide potentially useful markers for the assessment of genetic variability in the only existing wild population of the Asiatic lions and other big cat species.