Abstract
The genetic differentiation of Archachatina marginata populations from three different zones of Nigeria was studied with a view to delimiting them into sub-species. One hundred and nineteen (119) snail specimens were collected, comprising of forty (40) specimens from Yenagoa (Mangrove forest) and from Kabba (Guinea Savanna) and thirty nine (39) specimens were from Ile-Ife (Rainforest). Eight parameters of the shell specimens of A. marginata which included height of shell, width of shell, aperture height, aperture width, spire length, spire width, penultimate whorl length and first whorl length were subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Variates Analysis (CVA) to delimit the populations into sub-species. DNA of the various populations was extracted from the foot muscle using CTAB (Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide) method, which was subjected to RAPD analysis. The RAPD studies employed five (5) oligonucleotide primers (OPB – 17, OPH – 12, OPH – 17, OPI – 06 and OPU – 14) to amplify DNA from 27 samples of A. marginata selected. All five primers produced different band patterns, and the number of fragments amplified per primer varied. Among them, OPB- 17 gave DNA profiles with more numerous bands than the others primers. Both PCA and CVA produced overlapped clusters of A. marginata specimens from the three vegetation zones. The height of shell was observed to be the most variable feature and preferably the most suitable parameter for population grouping. Analysis of the proportions of polymorphic loci and band sharing based on similarity indices for A. marginata samples indicated a relatively high level of genetic variation in the populations from the three areas.
Highlights
Archachatina marginata (Swainson, 1821) is a land snail of the family Achatinidae
Canonical Variates Analyses (CVA) was conducted to see if the population of A. marginata collected from the three locations could be separated intra (Fig. 4)
All the clusters produced by the Principal Component Analysis on the parameters measured on A. marginata overlapped; Canonical Variates Analysis plots that were produced showed overlapping of specimens clusters
Summary
Archachatina marginata (Swainson, 1821) is a land snail of the family Achatinidae. It is a giant land snail native to Africa (Raut and Barker, 2002). Bequaert (1951) reported the presence of subspecies of Archachatina marginata in Nigeria In his studies on the Achatininae, a group of African land snails, he stated that A. marginata covers a wide territory, extending at least from Dahomey to the Lower and middle Belgian Congo, and possibly in French Equitorial Africa to the Gribingui River (about 7°N., 19°W). As a result, it has produced several intra specific variations, sometimes well segregated geographically, but more overlapping, yet well worthy of varietal or subspecific names
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
