The Litoria ewingi Complex (Anura : Hylidae) in South-Eastern Australia VI.* Geographic Variation in Transferrins of Four Taxa

Abstract

Transfenins are highly polymorphic in taxa of the L, ewingi complex. Nine transferrins with different electrophoretic mobilities occur in L. ewingi, and four in each of the other taxa studied. Populations of L. paraewingi are relatively similar for transferrin, but in L, ewingi, L. v. verreauxi and L. v. alpina there is geographic differentiation of transferrins across the range. In L. ewingi, four areas can be recognized on the basis of transferrin composition of populations and by changes in transferrin gene frequencies. In L. v. verreauxi, two areas can be recognized: a western area in which populations are monomorphic for transferrin, and an eastern and northern area in which populations are polymorphic. Two areas are recognized in L. v. alpina. Individuals from two geographic isolates have a 'fixed heterozygote' transferrin phenotype; population samples from the remainder of the range are polymorphic, but the fixed heterozygote phenotype does not occur there. Geographic isolation of L. ewingi in Flinders I. and King I. and in Tasmania for more than 9000 y has not resulted in marked differences in the transferrin compositions of these populations compared with those from the southern mainland.