We provide a comparative population genetic study of the elusive amphibian, Proteus anguinus, by comparing the genetic diversity and divergence among 4 cave populations (96 individuals) sampled in the Dinaric Karst of Croatia. We developed 10 variable microsatellite markers using pyrosequencing and applied them to the 4 selected populations belonging to 4 different cave systems. The results showed strong genetic differentiation between the 4 caves corroborating with previous findings suggesting that Proteus might comprise several unrecognized taxa. Our results confirmed that gene flow should be high within the caves, whereas it is low between hydrographic systems since geological periods. Finally, we conclude that the high genetic subdivision suggests the necessity of treating the 4 studied Proteus populations as evolutionary significant units.
Keywords: Dinaric karst; amphibians; caudata; caves; troglomorphism.
© The American Genetic Association 2018. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].