The PCR-RFLP identification of mitochondrial lines Darevskia lindholmi (Sauria, Lacertidae) 

Svetlana A. Lukonina, Postgraduate student, Penza State University (40 Krasnaya street, Penza, Russia), E-mail: lanochkal@yandex.ru
Oleg A. Ermakov, Candidate of biological sciences, associate professor, associate professor of the sub-department of zoology and ecology, Penza State University (40 Krasnaya street, Penza, Russia), E-mail: oaermakov@list.ru 

Background. Reliable identification of animal taxa characterized by weak mor-phological differences and, at the same time, by significant genetic differentiation is essen-tial condition for the study of biological diversity. The authors set the task of developing test systems using the PCR-RFLP method for the identification of mitochondrial lineages of the Crimean rock lizard Darevskia lindholmi (Szczerbak, 1962), an endemic of Crimea, which is distributed exclusively in the mountainous part of the peninsula. Materials and methods. Based on the analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome b gene of the mitochondrial DNA of D. lindholmi, a search for marker nucleotide substitutions specific for each lineage and recognition sites for the HaeIII and TasI restriction endonucleases was carried out. Results. The use of the HaeIII restriction enzyme makes it possible to identify only one, the most differentiated lineage, while the TasI restriction enzyme allows an iden-tification of all three known mitochondrial lineages. Conclusions. The test system proposed by the authors is a simple and reliable method for identifying mitochondrial lineages of the Crimean rock lizard and can be successfully applied in screening studies. 

restriction analysis, cytochrome b, mitochondrial DNA, Darevskia (saxicola) complex 

Lukonina S.A., Ermakov O.A. The PCR-RFLP identification of mitochondrial lines Darevskia lindholmi (Sauria, Lacertidae). Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedeniy. Povolzhskiy region. Estestvennye nauki = University proceedings. Volga region. Natural sciences. 2022;(1):85–90. (In Russ.). doi:10.21685/2307-9150-2022-1-8