DNA FINGERPRINTING IN A BUTTERFLY, BICYCLUS-ANYNANA (SATYRIDAE)

We report the detection of hypervariable markers in the satyrid butter fly Bicyclus anynana (Butler) using the human-derived minisatellite pr obes 33.6 and 33.15. A highly informative fingerprinting system was es tablished, and, uniquely to date, probes 33.6 and 33.15 were found to hybridize to an identical single hypervariable locus at low stringency in this species. Segregation analysis was performed using two familie s, consisting of two parents and 15 and 16 offspring, respectively. Me ndelian inheritance was confirmed. The number of alleles present and t he level of heterozygosity were determined by fingerprinting 18 unrela ted individuals: 11 alleles were observed, and 83% of individuals were heterozygous. These data show for the first time that hypervariable m arkers occur in the genome of a butterfly species; they suggest that a dditional loci may be revealed by hybridization with other minisatelli te probes. Both probes detected one other independently segregating po lymorphic locus to which 33.15 hybridized more intensely, allowing gen otypes to be characterized. It is possible that similar methods could yield useful results in other Lepidopteran species.