Development of a microsatellite library for the passion flower butterfly Dione moneta Hübner (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae)

We characterized 19 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the Neotropical butterfly Dione moneta. Based on the genotypes of 20 individuals from one population, we detected one to 13 alleles per locus, observed heterozygosities ranging from 0.00 to 0.80, and expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.23 to 0.88. Levels of variation were high, although heterozygosity deficiencies were found at most loci. The loci showed broad amplification success in a second population of D. m. moneta, in D. m. butleri, other species of the genus (D. juno juno and D. glycera) and the related species, Agraulis vanillae maculosa. These polymorphic markers should provide efficient tools to study population genetic structure of D. moneta and other closely related butterflies.