Development and characterization of 23 microsatellite loci for scaled quail (Callipepla squamata)

The scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) is a common but declining game bird found throughout large portions of the arid southwest region of the United States. Range-wide population declines have been linked to long term drought and land use changes and have led to a resurgance in research investigating various aspects of scaled quail ecology. In order to facilitate future research on scaled quail, we have developed and characterized 23 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Among 16 individuals from populations located throughout scaled quail range, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 14 with an average of 7. Polymorphic information content ranged from 0.210 to 0.899 with an average of 0.654, indicating that these loci have high applicability for future scaled quail genetic studies.