Genetic differentiation of the sand lizard populations, Lacerta agilis Linnaeus, 1758 (Reptilia, Lacertidae) in central Europe

Robert Maślak (1) , Lukasz Paśko (1) , Jan Kusznierz (1) , Magdalena Moska (2) , Benoit Heulin (3, 4) , Yann Surget-Groba (5)

1 Institute of Zoology
2 Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding
3 OSUR - Station Biologique de Paimpont CNRS UMR 6653
4 ECOBIO - Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes]
5 Department of Zoology and Animal Biology

Eight populations of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) from Poland (allozymes and cytochrome b gene sequences) and 18 populations from Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, France and Russia (dloop region sequence) were studied. The level of allozyme polymorphism is very low. It was only found in two loci of two enzyme systems (MOD and PGD) among the 8 loci studied and only in two populations from North-Eastern and Central-Eastern Poland. Bayesian Inference and additional phylogenetic analyses basing on cytochrome b gene and dloop region indicate clearly that haplotypes from these two populations form a separate clade. The study confirms the homogenity of sand lizard populations in Central Europe (L. agilis argus) except for populations from NE and E of Poland (L. agilis chersonensis). Dloop analysis suggests the position of sand lizard from Croatia as L. agilis bosnica.

Keywords: Lacerta agilis; population genetics; allozymes; mtDNA; cytochrome b; dloop; phylogenetics; Central Europe

Domains: Environmental Sciences; Biodiversity and Ecology

Robert Maślak, Lukasz Paśko, Jan Kusznierz, Magdalena Moska, Benoit Heulin, et al.. Genetic differentiation of the sand lizard populations, Lacerta agilis Linnaeus, 1758 (Reptilia, Lacertidae) in central Europe. Zeszyty Naukowe Univerwersytetu Przyrodniczego we Wrocławiu, 2010, LX (577), pp.107-124. ⟨hal-01094172⟩