In silico mining of microsatellite markers for the Red Palm Weevil as contribution to its invasion management

The Red Palm Weevil is an invasive pest causing huge damages by attacking several palm species of the family Arecaeae. One of the most important challenges of conservation biology for the near future is the management of biological invasions and their effects. In this study we used 454 pyrosequencing and in silico mining to identify novel microsatellite markers for investigating the reproductive biology and the invasion dynamics, crucial to plan the control strategies against the pest. We report 14 variable microsatellites out of 37 screened for levels of polymorphism. Allele number per locus ranged between 2 and 15 and H-o from 0.04 to 0.86.