Characterization of eight microsatellite loci for the sea urchin Meoma ventricosa (Spatangoida, Brissidae) through Next Generation Sequencing.

Eight microsatellite loci were characterized for Meoma ventricosa (Lamarck, 1816), a burrowing sea urchin that can be afflicted by a bacterial disease causing localized mass mortality. For the analyzed population (29 individuals from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands), we observed 8.125 mean number of alleles, 0.640 mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) and 0.747 mean expected heterozygosity (He). Two loci showed significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Overall, the described loci were characterized by a moderately highlevel of polymorphism suggesting that these markers are useful for a population genetic studyin the Caribbean Sea.