Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of Kinosternon flavescens Based on Complete Mitochondrial Control Region Sequences

Organization and variation of mitochondrial DNA control region in pleurodiran turtles

“…Researchers have proposed that they provide regulatory signals for the processing of the RNA primers for replication of the H-strand in human KB and mouse L cells. Since then, these three conserved sequence blocks have been identified in a number of vertebrate mtDNAs, such as fish (BUROKER et al 1990, BROUGHTON & DOWLING 1994, LIU 2002, amphibians (DUNON-BLUTEAU et al 1985), lizards (BREHM et al 2003), turtles (SERB et al 2001, ZHANG et al 2009, XIONG et al 2010, and mammals (SBISÀ et al 1997). However, it is interesting that in turtles only the CSB-1 is found consistently, whereas in marsupials, all three CSBs are consistently present.…”

“…Thus, there are two known types of mitochondrial CR in turtles at present, which correspond to variations in the CSB domain (Figs 3 and 4). In all cryptodiran turtles, the CSB domain contains three conserved blocks (CSB-1, CSB-2, and CSB-3) (SERB et al 2001, JUNGT et al 2006, AMER & KUMAZAWA 2009, ZHANG et al 2009, XIONG et al 2010 (Fig. 3) but only one (CSB-1) can be Figure 2.…”

Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination in Vertebrates

“…Differences in mtDNA now support genetic disjunction (Walker et al 1998). The other difference, originally viewed as distinguishing K. f. flavescens from K. f. arizonense , now represents taxa recognized as full species (Serb et al 2001). Cases for additional study include K. scorpioides, which exhibited TSD II in one population (Ewert and Nelson 1991), but closer to TSD Ia in another (Figure 3.1e).…”

Declining Populations of Yellow Mud Turtles(Kinosternon flavescens)in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri

“…The yellow mud turtle is listed as endangered in all three states (Christiansen et al 1990; Code of Iowa 2010; Illinois Endangered Species Board 2010; Missouri Department of Conservation 2010). Originally identified as a separate subspecies (K. flavescens spooneri ;Smith 1951), several studies (Houseal et al 1982;Berry and Berry 1984;Serb et al 2001) confirmed the Muscatine population is taxonomically indistinct from K. f. flavescens.…”