Résumé
The Neotropical butterfly Heliconius numata (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) is known for its striking diversity of wing color patterns driven by the Mullerian mimicry of multiple local models and controlled by a single supergene locus. Such fine-scale variation of traits under strong selection offers a unique opportunity for the study of the ecology and genetics of adaptation. However, little is still known of the population processes driving geographical variation in wing-pattern phenotypes. We report the characterization of 26 microsatellite markers for the butterfly H.numata, including six located inside the wing color-pattern supergene region. All markers are polymorphic, with allele numbers ranging from 2 to 21 per locus, an observed heterozygosity of 0.111 to 0.848 and an expected heterozygosity of 0.126 to 0.942. A subset of 18 of these markers was tested on five closely related sympatric Heliconius species with an amplification success ranging from 88% to 94%. The obtained set of microsatellite markers provides a new and useful set of tools to investigate patterns of differentiation and selection in populations of mimetic Heliconius butterflies. Moreover, markers developed within the color-pattern supergene will facilitate characterization of the association between the genetic architecture and the functional diversity of wing patterns. Finally, the cross-species amplification success of the described markers extends their utility to also encompass comparative population genetic studies of closely related species within a clade of rapidly diversifying species.