TECHNICAL NOTE Characterization and multiplex genotyping of 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered bumble-bee bat, Craseonycteris thonglongyai (Chiroptera: Craseonycteridae) Se ´bastien J. Puechmaille Æ Piyathip Piyapan Æ Medhi Yokubol Æ Meriadeg Ar Gouilh Æ Khin Mie Mie Æ Paul J. Bates Æ Chutamas Satasook Æ Tin Nwe Æ Si Si Hla Bu Æ Iain Mackie Æ Emma C. Teeling Received: 28 July 2008 / Accepted: 9 August 2008 / Published online: 28 August 2008 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008 Abstract The bumble-bee bat (Craseonycteris thong- longyai) is an endangered species with a limited distribution range and a suspected declining population. Of the 30 microsatellites developed and tested in C. thonglongyai, 16 were amplified in two multiplex polymerase chain reactions (PCRs). Based on genotypes of 64 individuals from two populations, expected heterozygosities, averaged 0.50 in Myanmar and 0.61 in Thailand. Only one pair of loci showed linkage disequilibrium in one population and no deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was detected. This set of 16 microsatellites will be useful to study popu- lation structure and gene flow in C. thonglongyai. Keywords Craseonycteris thonglongyai Á Chiroptera Á Microsatellites Á Endangered species Á Population structure Craseonycteris thonglongyai (bumble-bee bat) is currently considered as one of the top 50 most Evolutionarily Dis- tinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) mammalian species (Isaac et al. 2007). The family Craseonycteridae is monospecific and diverged from all other lineages approximately 43 MYA (Teeling et al. 2005). C. thong- longyai is a cave dwelling insectivorous bat and is one of the smallest mammals in the world, weighing approxi- mately 2 g (Hill 1974). This species is endemic to a small region situated around the Thai-Myanmar border with a single population found in each country (Bates et al. 2001; Hill 1974; Ramos Pereira et al. 2006). Although recent surveys have reported an increase in known population size and colony number (S. Puechmaille et al., unpublished data), the species is thought to be declining due to habitat destruction and cave disturbance (Yokubol 2000). In order to preserve and protect this unique species, it is essential to understand the relationship between the two existing pop- ulations, their substructure and patterns of gene flow between colonies. Microsatellites are the markers of choice to tackle these questions but none have been reported in this family before. Here we describe sixteen polymorphic Tin Nwe, retired. S. J. Puechmaille (&) Á E. C. Teeling (&) School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland e-mail: s.puechmaille@gmail.com E. C. Teeling e-mail: emma.teeling@ucd.ie P. Piyapan Á M. Yokubol Á C. Satasook Department of Biology, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand M. Ar Gouilh Muse ´um National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France M. Ar Gouilh Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Khin Mie Mie Á Tin Nwe Zoology Department, Yangon University, Yangon, Myanmar P. J. Bates Harrison Institute, Bowerwood House, St Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 3AQ, UK Si Si Hla Bu Department of Zoology, Mandalay University (formerly of Yangon University), Mandalay, Myanmar I. Mackie Department of Biology, University of Aberdeen, IBES, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, UK 123 Conserv Genet (2009) 10:1073–1076 DOI 10.1007/s10592-008-9691-1