Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci for Neothraupis fasciata, (Emberizidae, Passeriformes) with widely cross amplification in neotropical passerines.

We described the development and characterization of 16 microsatellite loci for the white-banded tanager (Neothraupis fasciata), a Neotropical passerine from Cerrado (Brazilian savanna). Based on 24 N. fasciata from a single population, we detected moderate to high number of alleles per locus (2-18 alelles) with expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.12 to 0.92. The high combined paternity exclusion probability (0.999) and low combined genetic identity (1.72 x 10(-10)) show that the battery of loci is suitable for parentage and population analyses. Some of these markers also showed amplification in 8 species from 4 Neotropical passerine families, indicating the potential of these markers to address similar questions in these species.