Development and characterization of EST-derived microsatellite makers for Manila clam ( Ruditapes philippinarum )

Twenty-five polymorphic microsatellite makers were developed and characterized from expressed sequence tag sequence of the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum. The number of alleles at each locus ranged from 3 to 20 with an average of seven alleles per locus. The observed and expected heterozygosity varied from 0.081 to 0.730 and from 0.127 to 0.926, respectively. Thirteen loci were found deviate significantly from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite loci will be useful for further studies on the population structure and genetic variation of this species.