2023 Volume 63 Issue 2 Pages 179-184
The reproductive traits of the Talpidae remain unclear. Here, we applied microsatellite DNA markers (12 loci) to a female individual of the lesser Japanese mole (Mogera imaizumii) and its offspring to evaluate paternal elements and the utility of these markers for relatedness accuracy. We also evaluated the identification probability using genotype data of the wild population at three sites in Yamagata Prefecture from a previous study. As a result, of 12 loci, 10 loci were available for the identification of individuals and the detection of paternity. We concluded that the offspring were derived from single paternity. In addition, using a combination of the 10 loci, we could identify all individuals, i.e., the female and its offspring, indicating that these loci would be useful for elucidating the mating system in M. imaizumii.
