Morphological and Genetic Characteristics in Two Forms of Gibbose Conch, Gibberulus gibberulus gibbosus

Abstract

Morphological and genetic features in two forms (white form and purple form) of gibbose conch, Gibberulus gibberulus gibbosus, were examined. Morphological characters of the two forms showed no significant differences except the shell coloration. Isozymes detected by horizontal starch-gel electrophoresis were used as genetic markers of 22 loci presumed. There were no significant differences between the two forms in the genetic variability and allelic frequencies at any of the loci examined. The genetic distance (D value) between the two forms, calculated from isozymic allele frequencies was 0.0019, being below the inter-subpopulational level. The morphological and genetic results suggested that the white form and the purple form compose the unique Mendelian population, they represented an intra-specific variation.