Polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered butterfly Lycaena helle (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Six polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated in the endangered butterfly Lycaena helle. Five of them provided interpretable results. We detected four to 34 alleles per locus in a total of 235 samples (males and females) collected from meadows in the Ardennes-Eifel (Germany, Luxemburg and Belgium) and the Westerwald (Germany). We collected one leg for DNA-extraction as a non-lethal method. The expected heterozygosities ranged from 48.6% to 83.1%, depending on the locus analysed. These markers are currently being used in our studies of the species´ phylogeography over its western Palearctic distribution area and for the analysis of the conservation status of the fragmented populations in Central Europe.