Isolation and characterisation of polymorphic microsatellite loci for Noisy Miners 'Manorina melanocephala', with successful cross-amplification in Bell Miners 'M. melanophrys'

We characterized 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci identified from a Noisy Miner ('Manorina melanocephala') blood sample using 454 whole genome shotgun sequencing. Levels of polymorphism were assessed using 15 Noisy Miners. The average number of alleles per locus was 5.1. These loci were then cross-amplified to assess their suitability in a single population of Bell Miners ('M. melanophrys'). Given the landscape level impact that these species are having on the health of vegetation and biodiversity of a range of vertebrates throughout much of south-eastern Australia, these primers will help identify colony dispersal patterns and thus aid in modeling predictions of miner presence and tenure length in threatened ecosystems.