A preliminary biochemical genetic survey of four South African painted reed frog (Hyperolius marmoratus) populations

Allozyme electrophoresis was used to evaluate genetic variability in painte d reed frog (Hyperolius marmoratus) populations from the Northern Province and the Eastern Cape. Sixteen protein-encoding loci were resolved, of which seven displayed allelic polymorphism. Average heterozygosity (H) values in two permanent H. m. taeniatus populations from the Northern Province (7.9% and 6.3%) did not differ substantially from each other nor from the geogra phically distant Eastern Cape H. m. verrucosus (9.1%). An isolated Northern Province H. m. taeniatus population displayed more polymorphism than any o ther group with H=14.1%, which can probably be attributed to the periodic i nflux of reed frogs following dry periods. Genetic distances and gene diver sity (Fs,) values conformed with expected values for conspecific population s. The results attained concur with the hypothesis of increased genetic het erogeneity among populations of small and relatively sedentary animals.