The Litoria ewingi complex (Anura : Hylidae) in south-eastern Australia III. Blood protein variation across a narrow hybrid zone betweeen L. ewingi and L. Paraewingi

Abstract

An electrophoretic study of transferrin distribution across a narrow hybrid zone between L. ewingi and L. paraewingi revealed seven molecular forms of transferrin. The transferrin frequencies and distribution may be an incidental product of the high level of genetic incompatibility between the taxa, or the result of direct selection for different transferrin types, or both. Haemoglobin variation was found only in L. ewingi samples. In most cases haemoglobins of L. ewingi and L. paraewingi were electrophoretically identical. The position and width of the hybrid zone, based on the biochemical data, generally agree with dimensions based on other criteria, although one transferrin cline is wider than those for other characteristics.