Characterization of 14 microsatellite loci in a tropical palm, Attalea phalerata (Arecaceae)

• Premise of the study: We developed microsatellite primers for the widely distributed tropical palm Attalea phalerata for studies on the dispersal and spatial genetic structure of palm populations. • Methods and Results: Fourteen di‐, tri‐, and tetra‐nucleotide microsatellite primer pairs were identified. The number of alleles in the population tested ranged between 3 and 25, with a mean of 12.1. Ten microsatellite loci exhibited no significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium or presence of null alleles, and their combined probability of exclusion was 0.998. • Conclusions: These microsatellite loci will be useful in parentage analysis and population genetics studies of Attalea phalerata .