Isolation of microsatellite markers for Contarinia nasturtii,a European pest invading the New World

Microsatellite markers were developed for epidemiological studies on Contarinia nasturtii (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), a native European pest that was introduced to the New World in 1996. Nine loci were found to be polymorphic and suitable for the analysis of 56 male individuals that were collected using pheromone traps. These markers all conform to Hardy–Weinberg expectations in at least one of the two tested populations, and carry an average number of 11 alleles among populations and observed levels of heterozygosity ranging from 0.32 to 0.86. Primers for all markers also successfully amplified fragments from Contarinia pisi and Contarinia tritici.