LOW CLONAL DIVERSITY IN THE PARTHENOGENETIC LIZARD CNEMIDOPHORUS NEOMEXICANUS (SAURIA: TEIIDAE)

Electrophoretic analysis of proteins coded by 19 loci in the hybrid parthenogenetic lizard C. neomexicanus and its parental species, C. tigris marmoratus and C. inornatus, revealed two clones which differ in genotype at one enzyme locus, malate dehydrogenase-1. One clone occurred at six of seven localities and the other was present at only one locality. A comparison of C. neomexicanus with another parthenogenetic species, C. tesselatus, suggests that the extent of the geographic and ecological distributions of parthenogenetic species of Cnemidophorus is di- rectly related to the degree of clonal diversity.