BIOCHEMICAL-GENETIC APPROACH TOWARDS THE SYSTEMATICS OF LECHWE KOBUS LECHE

Red lechwe Kobus leche leche Gray, 1850 (n = 3), black lechwe K. l. sm ithermani Lydekker, 1900 (n = 10) and Kafue lechwe K. l. kafuensis Hal tenorth, 1963 (n = 19) from Zambia were examined for genetic variabili ty and differentiation at 30 presumptive structural loci using horizon tal starch gel electrophoresis. Values of polymerphism (P = 10.0-16.7% ) and average heterozygosity (H = 6.3-7.9%) were within the range comm only found in ungulates. Genetic variability was lowest in the red lec hwe, which may be due to a genetic bottleneck the Zambia population ex perienced some 50 years ago. Relative (F-ST = 21%) and absolute (Nei's 1978; D = 0.020-0.023) genetic differentiation were in accordance wit h the subspecies status proposed for red lechwe, black lechwe, and Kaf ue lechwe on the basis of morphological characters.