TECHNICAL NOTE Characterisation and cross-amplification of fourteen microsatellite loci for the endemic New Zealand tui (Meliphagidae), Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae S. J. Wells • W. Ji • S. M. Baillie • D. Gleeson Received: 18 July 2012 / Accepted: 6 August 2012 / Published online: 30 August 2012 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012 Abstract We describe eight novel microsatellite loci for the tui, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, and the cross- amplification of six polymorphic loci developed for the bellbird (Anthornis melanura). Fifty tui samples from Tawharanui Regional Park, New Zealand, were genotyped using the 14 loci described. Numbers of alleles ranged from 3 to 16. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged between 0.180–0.940 and 0.237–0.878, respectively. There was no evidence of linkage disequilibrium. One locus (Ame-22) significantly deviated from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium. This study highlights the benefits of long- repeat microsatellites in minimising scoring errors. These are the first microsatellites to be developed for the tui and also provide potential markers for studying other honey- eaters throughout the Austro-Papuan region. Keywords Microsatellite Á Tui Á Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae Á Honeyeater Á Meliphagidae Á Bellbird Á Anthornis melanura Á New Zealand The tui, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, is one of only two endemic honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) in New Zealand. Despite being one of the largest honeyeaters and distrib- uted across a wide latitudinal range from the sub-tropical Kermadec, to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, there is a lack of knowledge of their important ecological aspects such as phylogeography, population genetics, mating and social systems. Since tui are a widespread forest passerine, they can assist in our understanding of the effects that human-induced fragmentation, off-shore island isolation, and rapid urbanization in New Zealand have had on the population dynamics of common and less abundant species alike (Gaston 2010). Blood samples were collected from 50 tui at Tawharanui Regional Park in the North Island and stored in Seutin’s buffer (Seutin et al. 1991). Genomic DNA was extracted using the QIAxtractor TM (QIAGEN). One sample of *5 ng genomic DNA was sequenced using the Roche/454 GS FLX System at the University of Otago High-Throughput Sequencing Unit according to Margulies et al. (2005). 14,000 reads were analysed with MSATCOMMANDER TM (Fairc- lough 2008) to detect microsatellite repeat arrays. 68 di- to hexa-nucleotide loci were identified and PRIMER3 (Rozen and Skaletsky 2000) was used to detect reproducible loci and design primers. 18 loci were consequently tested for poly- morphism using a M13(-21) tail attached to a fluorescent FAM label (Shuelke 2000). Amplification was performed in 15 lL reactions with 19 PCR buffer, 2 mM MgCl 2 , 0.2 mM dNTP, 0.4 lM M13-tagged forward primer, 0.2 lM untag- ged forward primer, 0.4 lM reverse primer, and 1.0 U S. J. Wells (&) Ecology and Conservation Group, Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 102904 North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland, New Zealand e-mail: s.j.wells@massey.ac.nz W. Ji Ecology and Conservation Group, Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand S. M. Baillie Ocean Tracking Network Canada, Department of Biology, Life Science Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada D. Gleeson Institute of Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia D. Gleeson EcoGene, Landcare Research Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand 123 Conservation Genet Resour (2013) 5:113–116 DOI 10.1007/s12686-012-9745-z