Isolation and characterization of fourteen polymorphic microsatellite markers in the viperine snake .

Nineteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified and developed for . Polymorphism was assessed for 120 individuals sampled across four sampling sites from the French Pyrenees Mountains. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 15, and expected heterozygosity per locus ranged from 0.227 to 0.863. We tested for deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium and assessed the presence of null alleles for all loci, resulting in a selection of 14 high-quality polymorphic markers. These markers will be extremely useful in identifying fine-scale genetic structures and providing insight into conservation management plans of this species.