• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.79-92
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• 1986

Electrophoretic method is and morphometric analysis were used to examine genetic and phenetic variation among 16 populations of Rhabdophis tigrina and to clarify the subspecific status of R.t.tigrina and R.t. lateralis in Korea. The degree of genic variation based on 23 presume loci was moderate and was similar to those found for other vertebrates. Interpopulation levels of genic differentiation were slight for all populations studied and overall genetic similarities were =0.970. The number of ventral and subcaudal scales showed clinal variation with increasing tendency in numbers toward south . Discriminant function analysis based on six morphometric characters revealed that there were no morphometric differentiation between two subspecies, therefore it was concluded that they were same taxon and R.t. lateralis (Berthold, 1859) should be treated as synonym of R. t. tigrina(Boie, 1826)