We report here a dataset comprising nine nuclear markers for the Brazilian population of Cheloniidae turtles: hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerheads (Caretta caretta), olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea), and green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Because hybridization is a common phenomenon between the four Cheloniidae species nesting on the Brazilian coast, we also report molecular markers for the hybrids E. imbricata × C. caretta, C. caretta × L. olivacea, and E. imbricata × L. olivacea and for one hybrid E. imbricata × C. mydas and one between three species C. mydas × E. imbricata × C. caretta. The data was used in previous studies concerning (1) the description of frequent hybrids C. caretta × E. imbricata in Brazil, (2) the report of introgression in some of these hybrids, and (3) population genetics. As a next step for the study of these hybrids and their evolution, genome-wide studies will be performed in the Brazilian population of E. imbricata, C. caretta, and their hybrids. 1. Introduction From the seven known sea turtle species, five species nest on the Brazilian coast: leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), green (Chelonia mydas), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata). The Brazilian sea turtle population differs from other worldwide populations because of its high hybrid frequency. Almost 43% of nesting E. imbricata individuals were reported as hybrids in a short stretch of the Brazilian coast (Bahia state), while other sites where E. imbricata nests did not show presence of hybrids [1, 2]. The sea turtles that nest in the Brazilian coast have been shown to form a separate genetic pool from other populations [3–5]. Studies with species nesting in Brazil show that their populations are differentiated from other worldwide populations. Recent telemetry studies corroborate the results from genetic data: C. caretta, E. imbricata, C. mydas, and L. olivacea individuals that nest in Brazilian beaches tend to stay in feeding aggregations within the Brazilian continental shelf [6–9]. On the other hand, Brazilian feeding aggregations are characterized by a mixture of turtles coming from different regions worldwide. Mixed-stock results based on mitochondrial DNA showed that E. imbricata feeding areas receive migrants from Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Ocean [10]; C. caretta foraging aggregations are characterized by a mixture of Brazilian, Australian, Mediterranean, and northwestern Atlantic turtles [3]; and C. mydas feeding grounds are characterized by the contribution of other
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