Isolation and characterization of microsatellites in the Asian walking catfish Clarias macrocephalus

Microsatellite loci were characterized in the walking catfish, Clarias macrocephalus, random clones from a small genomic library using a (GT)₁₅ probe. Primers for DNA amplifications using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were designed and synthesized for 23 loci. Twelve loci were polymorphic, with the number of alleles ranging from two to 13 alleles per locus. Developed microsatellite primers should prove useful for population studies and genetic mapping of the walking catfish.