Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers in the portunid crab Liocarcinus depurator using FIASCO and 454 next-generation sequencing

The portunid crab Liocarcinus depurator is the dominant decapod crustacean present on mud bottoms of the continental shelf of the Mediterranean Sea. In order to better describe its genetic structure, a total of 11 microsatellites were isolated and tested in 28 L. depurator individuals from the Mediterranean locality of Tarragona. Initially, microsatellite isolation was carried out using the FIASCO methodology, but only 2 useful primer pairs could be designed. Given the low yield obtained, an alternative method based on 454 next-generation sequencing was assayed, which provided excellent results and from which another 9 primer pairs gave positive genotyping. All loci tested were polymorphic,…