Seventeen new microsatellites for and cross-amplification in species.

Premise: Microsatellite markers were developed for the western Mediterranean tree (Tamaricaceae) as part of a study of its genetic diversity and structure.

Methods And Results: Seventeen microsatellite markers were developed for , 14 of which were polymorphic. These microsatellites have di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide repeats with 1-13 alleles per locus and population. Levels of observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 0.900 and from 0.000 to 0.863, respectively. Six microsatellites showed significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in at least one population. Cross-amplification in 19 species showed a wide transferability to other species of the genus.

Conclusions: The 14 new polymorphic microsatellite markers will be used to assess the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of . Additionally, the successful cross-species amplification suggests their potential usefulness for investigating species delimitation and population genetics in the genus .