A suite of multiplexed microsatellite loci for the ground beetle Abax parallelepipedus (Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783) (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

We report two sets of polymorphic, multiplexed microsatellite markers for the ground beetle Abax parallelepipedus. As the species is flightless, restricted to forests and affected by habitat fragmentation it can serve as a model species for landscape and conservation genetics. A complete set of 20 loci can be amplified in five PCR reactions and sequenced in two rounds, and a subset of 14 loci can be analyzed together in one PCR run and one sequencing round. In a scan of 3,432 individuals from across Germany using the 14 loci subset, we found between three and 14 alleles per locus. After accounting for two loci that are apparently sex-linked, no significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found. None of the loci showed evidence for the presence of null alleles. No overall linkage disequilibrium was detected. Some of the loci can also be used to study other Abax species.