Abstract: | Nine polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized from the lek‐breeding ruff (Philomachus pugnax) using an enrichment cloning procedure. The number of alleles resolved per locus ranged from five to 56, and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.311 to 0.857 in a sample of 319 ruffs from Gotland, Sweden. Two loci were located on the Z chromosome, rendering all females hemizygotes. These markers are effective in the assignment of parentage and determining male mating success. |