Abstract
C. lemniscatus is the only species of the genus Cnemidophorus found in the Amazonas valley. Among the populations from 15 localities which were studied, 5 included individuals of both sexes, but the remaining 10 were composed only by parthenogenetic females. In every case the all-female populations presented one or more heteromorphic pairs of chromosomes; in no case did this happen in the sexual populations. Five different karyotypes were described but no two of them were present in the same locality. No triploid individuals were found. A hypothesis for explaining this situation is discussed. It is probable that the chromosomes of the ancestral sexual population presented structural balanced polymorphisms preserved by heterosis or by better adaptation of each homozygote to a different niche. The latter case explains better the finding of different karyotypes without heteromorphism in different bisexual populations. When occasional parthenogenesis happened to appear in an heterotic structural heterozygote a successful strain could be established which would displace its bisexual competitors.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramoff, P., Darnell, R. M., Balsano, J. S.: Electrophoretic demonstration of the hybrid origin of the gynogenetic teleost Poecilia formosa. Amer. Naturalist 102, 555–558 (1968)
Burt, C. E.: A study of the teiid lizards of the genus Cnemidophorus with special reference to their phylogenetic relationships. Bull. U. S. nat. Museum 154, 1–286 (1031)
Carson, H. L.: On the evolution of parthenogenesis in Lonchoptera (Diptera). Evolution (Lancaster, Pa.) 10, 345–359 (1956)
Carson, H. L.: Fixed heterozygosity in a parthenogenetic species of Drosophila. Univ. Texas Public. 6205, 55–62 (1962)
Darevsky, I. S.: On the origin and biological role of natural parthenogenesis in a polymorphic group of Caucasian rock-lizards, Lacerta saxicola Eversmann. Zool. Zhurn. 41: 397–408 (1962)
Darevsky, I. S.: Natural parthenogenesis in a polymorphic group of Caucasian rocky lizards related to Lacerta saxicola Eversmann. J. Ohio Herpetol. Soc. 5, 115–152 (1966)
Darevsky, I. S., Kulikova, V. N.: Natural triploidy within a polymorphous group of Lacerta saxicola Eversmann, resulting from hybridization between bisexual and parthenogenetic varieties of this species. Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 158, 202–205 (1964)
Ferrari, I., Peccinini, D.: Estudo do crescimento celular em cultura temporária de leucócitos de lagartos (Teiidae). Cienc. e Cult. 20, 172 (1968)
Ford, C. E., Hamerton, J. L.: A colchicine hypotonic — citrate squash sequence for mammalian chromosomes. Stain Technol. 31, 247–254 (1956)
Gorman, G. C.: Chromosomes and the systematics of the family Teiidae (Sauria, Reptilia). Copeia (Wash.) 2, 230–245 (1970)
Kallman, K. D.: Gynogenesis in the teleost Mollienisia formosa (Giraud), with discussion of the detection of parthenogenesis in vertebrates by tissue transplantation. J. Genet. 58, 7–21 (1962)
Levan, A., Fredga, K., Sandberg, A. A.: Nomenclature of centromeric position on chromosomes. Hereditas (Lund) 52, 201–220 (1964)
Lowe, C. H., Wright, J. W.: Evolution of parthenogenetic species of Cnemidophorus (whiptail lizards) in Western North America. J. Arizona Acad. Sci. 4, 81–87 (1966a)
Lowe, C. H., Wright, J. W.: Chromosomes and karyotypes of cnemidophorine teiid lizards. Mamm. Chrom. Newsl. 22, 199–200 (1966b)
Lowe, C. H., Wright, J. W., Cole, J. C., Bezy, R. L.: Natural hybridization between the teiid lizards Cnemidophorus sonorae (parthenogenetic) and Cnemidophorus tigris (bisexual). Syst. Zool. 19, 114–127 (1970a)
Lowe, C. H., Wright, J. W., Cole, J. C., Bezy, R. L.: Chromosomes and evolution of the species groups of Cnemidophorus (Reptilia: Teiidae). Syst. Zool. 19, 128–141 (1970b)
Maslin, T. P.: Skin grafting in the bisexual teiid lizard Cnemidophorus sexlineatus. J. exp. Zool. 166, 137–150 (1967)
Maslin, T. P.: Parthenogenesis in reptiles. Amer. Zoologist 11: 361–380 (1971)
Matthey, R.: Les chromosomes des vertébrés, p. 1–356. Lausanne: F. Rouge 1949
Neaves, W. B.: Adenosine deaminase phenotypes among sexual and parthenogenetic lizards in the genus Cnemidophorus (Teiidae). J. exp. Zool. 171, 175–184 (1968)
Neaves, W. B., Gerald, P. S.: Lactate dehydrogenase isozymes in parthenogenetic teiid lizards (Cnemidophorus). Science 160, 1004–1005 (1968)
Neaves, W. B., Gerald, P. S.: Gene dosage at the lactate dehydrogenase B locus in triploid and diploid teiid lizards. Science 164, 557–558 (1969)
Olsen, M. W., Marsden, S. J.: Natural parthenogenesis in turkey eggs. Science 120, 545–546 (1954)
Peccinini, D.: Chromosome variation of Cnemidophorus lemniscatus in the Amazon valley (Sauria, Teiidae). Ciênc. e Cult. 23, 133–136 (1971)
Suomalainen, E.: Parthenogenesis in animals. Advanc. Genet. 3, 193–253 (1950)
Vanzolini, P. E.: Unisexual Cnemidophorus lemniscatus in the Amazonas valley: A preliminary note (Sauria, Teiidae). Papéis Avulsos Mus. Zool. (São Paulo) 23, 63–68 (1970)
White, M. J. D.: Further studies on the cytology and distribution of the Australian parthenogenetic grasshopper Moraba virgo. Rev. suisse Zool. 73, 385–198 (1966)
White, M. J. D.: Heterozygosity and genetic polymorphism in parthenogenetic animals. In: Essays in evolution and genetics in honour of Theodosius Dobzhansky (H. Hecht and G. Steere, eds.), p. 237–262. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publ. Co., 1970
White, M. J. D., Cheney, J., Key, K. H. L.: A parthenogenetic species of grasshopper with complex structural heterozygosity (Orthoptera, Acridoidea). Aust. J. Zool. 11, 1–19 (1963)
Wright, J. W., Lowe, C. H.: Weeds, polyploids, parthenogenesis and the geographical and ecological distribution of all-female species of Cnemidophorus. Copeia (Wash.) 1, 128–137 (1968)
Yao, F. S., Olsen, M. W.: Microscopic observations of parthenogenetic embryonic tissues from virgin turkey eggs. J. Hered. 46, 133–134 (1955)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Peccinini-Scale, D., Frota-Pessoa, O. Structural heterozygosity in parthenogenetic populations of Cnemidophorus lemniscatus (Sauria, Teiidae) from the Amazonas valley. Chromosoma 47, 439–451 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326365
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326365