Twenty microsatellite loci for population and conservation genetic studies of the wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax)

Twenty di- to pentanucleotide microsatellites are reported for the wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), a large raptor from Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. These loci were tested for variation among 49 individuals. All loci are polymorphic with 2–14 alleles per locus, and observed heterozygosities ranged between 0.021 and 0.898. Genotype frequencies for all loci did not differ significantly from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and there was no evidence of linkage disequilibrium. These markers will be used to assess population structure and conservation genetics of this species, focusing on population differentiation and gene flow between Tasmanian and mainland populations and conservation genetics of the endangered Tasmanian population.