Short Note
Published 2026-10-30
Keywords
- Caucasian rock lizards,
- hybridization,
- triploid-diploid offspring,
- reticulate evolution
How to Cite
Mikhailovskaya , E., Arakelyan, M., Iryshkov , E., Nikolaev , O., Brinev, I., Girnyk, A., & Galoyan, E. (2026). Mixed-ploidy clutches in parthenogenetic Darevskia dahli from a hybrid zone. Acta Herpetologica. https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-21412
Copyright (c) 2026 Elizaveta Mikhailovskaya , Marine Arakelyan, Eugene Iryshkov , Oleg Nikolaev , Ilya Brinev, Anastasiya Girnyk, Eduard Galoyan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Funding data
-
Russian Science Foundation
Grant numbers N 22-14-00227-P -
State Committee of Science
Grant numbers 21SC-BRFFR-1F013
Abstract
Hybridization between parthenogenetic females and heterospecific males may generate polyploid offspring and contribute to reticulate evolution in Caucasian rock lizards. We analyzed 30 offspring from ten clutches of parthenogenetic Darevskia dahli females showing evidence of mating with D. portschinskii in a hybrid zone in northern Armenia. Genotyping of offspring from all clutches using three microsatellite loci identified seven triploid hybrids. One clutch consisted entirely of triploids, whereas three contained both diploid and triploid offspring. Fertilization appears to occur only in some eggs within a clutch. Triploid production was positively associated with female body size. The low frequency of successful triploid formation may limit further polyploid and reticulate evolution in Darevskia.
References
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