This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

We describe 24 microsatellite loci for an at-risk North American butterfly, the Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis). Forty-one perfect tetra and di-nucleotide loci were originally identified using Illumina sequencing and were refined to 24 variable and cleanly amplifiable loci, which we attempted to characterized in 34 individuals from a single population. We detected 2 to 10 alleles per locus. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.06 to 0.76, and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.06 to 0.79. We also describe conditions by which 18 microsatellites can be multiplexed in five separate reactions. These microsatellites will be used to investigate population differentiation and diversity of Mottled Duskywing, to inform reintroduction and conservation protocols for the species in Ontario, Canada where it is listed as endangered.

No abstract