The red-backed ratsnake(Elaphe rufodorsata) is widely distributed in East Asia, especially China. This species is a common snake in plain river network region. In the past several decades, E. rufodorsata has dramatically declined due to the effect of human activities and over hunting for traditional Chinese medicine. We developed nine species-specific microsatellite loci in 190 individuals collected from Huzhou, Zhejiang province in China. These markers revealed a high degree of genetic diversity(13–41 alleles per locus) and heterozygosity(H O ranged from 0.266 to 0.941, and H E ranged from 0.851 to 0.937). No locus exhibited significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. There was no evidence of linkage disequilibrium among pairs of loci. These microsatellite markers were described in our study will be valuable tools for the long term management and population-level studies(e.g. the population structure, genetic diversity and variation, individual paternity and evolutionary history) of the species.
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