DNA TAXOPRINT ANALYSIS OF FAMILY LACERTIDAE SPECIES

A study of highly repeated genomic DNA sequences with restriction endo nucleases demonstrated that the electrophoretic patterns of hydrolyzed animal DNAs are species-specific and could be used as ''fingerprints' ' characteristic of the whole population under study (i.e., a taxoprin t) [2]. Taxoprints of more than 20 species of Caucasian lizards obtain ed with several restriction endonucleases (restrictases) were compared . All the species of genus Lacerta have at least one, but usually seve ral common bands in their taxoprints. The taxoprint of a species from genus Podarcis revealed great similarity with Lacerta patterns; taxopr ints of two species from genus Eremias were far less similar. Patterns of a species belonging to another family (Teiidae) did not have commo n loci with Lacertidae taxoprints. Among the Lacerta lizards studied, a group of 10 species of rock lizards five of which are parthenogeneti c ones is characterized by the most similar taxoprints. These data may give added proof to the hypothesis according to which parthenogenetic species were formed as a result of hybridization of five other bisexu al species of the group. Other species possess species-specific loci; the degree of their phylogenetic relatedness may be evaluated basing o n the taxoprints of the species.