Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Microsatellite‐enriched genomic libraries were obtained from the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) using a magnetic/biotin capture of repetitive sequences. Ten dinucleotide markers were successfully isolated and characterized from these libraries. Variability was assessed in six populations of B. tabaci collected from different localities of the island of Crete, Greece. The number of alleles per locus in approximately 105 individuals screened across populations ranged from two to 13. Averaged observed heterozygosity over the six populations ranged from 0.001 to 0.58.