Evidence for viable, non-clonal but fatherless Boa constrictors.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Booth W
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3061174 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Evidence for viable, non-clonal but fatherless Boa constrictors.
Booth Warren W Johnson Daniel H DH Moore Sharon S Schal Coby C Vargo Edward L EL
Biology letters 20101103 2
Parthenogenesis in vertebrates is considered an evolutionary novelty. In snakes, all of which exhibit genetic sex determination with ZZ : ZW sex chromosomes, this rare form of asexual reproduction has failed to yield viable female WW offspring. Only through complex experimental manipulations have WW females been produced, and only in fish and amphibians. Through microsatellite DNA fingerprinting, we provide the first evidence of facultative parthenogenesis in a Boa constrictor, identifying multi ...[more]
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