Isolation of polymorphic microsatellite loci in Livistona chinensis (Jacq.) R.Br. ex Mart. var. boninensis Becc., an endemic palm species of the oceanic Bonin Islands, Japan

A set of microsatellites markers were developed for Livistona chinensis var. boninensis, an endemic palm tree of the Bonin Islands. We obtained 123 sequences containing unique microsatellites from an enriched library. Twelve loci were screened for their feasibility using 32 trees. They showed polymorphisms with two to nine alleles per locus. No significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was observed for 11 loci. No genotypic disequilibrium was detected between any two of the loci. Total exclusionary powers for the first and the second parents were 0.978774 and 0.998987, respectively. These markers will allow us to investigate the gene flow within/among populations of the species.