GENETIC-STRUCTURE AND PHYLETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF EASTERN MEDITERRANEANBACILLUS-ATTICUS BRUNNER (INSECTA PHASMATODEA) - A BIOCHEMICAL-STUDY

The allozymic characterization of several new Croatian, Greek, and Tur kish samples thought to belong to different subspecies of Bacillus att icus or to atticus-like taxa is given. Several allelic combinations (z ymotypes) were observed among both diploid and triploid samples; the o ccurrence of highly different levels of heterozygosity for the same lo cus among populations is also common. The biochemical-genetic features of the numerous zymotypes are interpreted on the basis of the recentl y assessed cytology of their parthenogenetic reproduction. Biochemical and meiotic features also allow one to suggest that both diploid and triploid cytotypes of B. atticus are more likely interracial hybrids i n origin. The new triploid Greek samples show only small genetic dista nces from the Turkish triploid and diploid ones; also, they do not sho w clear-cut morphological differences, so that all triploids and Turki sh diploid samples are together referred to as B. a. carius. On the ot her hand, all Croatian, Greek, and Italian diploids appear to belong t o the same electrophoretic cluster, biochemically differentiated at a subspecific level from B. a. carius. This newly defined comprehensive group of diploid samples, which also morphologically show gradual patt erns of variation, is referred to as B. a. atticus.