v13i2.337
Volume 13 | Number 2 | November 2024
Major Article
ISSN: 1800-427X (printed)
eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v13i2.337
Submitted date: 30 May 2024
Accepted date: 31 October 2024
Published date: 22 December 2024
Pp. 124–131.
SEXUAL MALES IN THE PARTHENOGENETIC Hemidactylus cf. garnotii (SQUAMATA: GEKKONIDAE) IN MIZORAM, INDIA
Krijoboti Thaosen, Jayaditya Purkayastha*, Mathipi Vabeiryureilai & Hmar T. Lalremsanga
*Corresponding author. E-mail: mail.jayaditya@gmail.com
Abstract
Most lizard species reproduce sexually, with both males and females contributing genetic material to offspring. However, a subset, including certain gecko species, reproduces via parthenogenesis, wherein females produce offspring without fertilization. Hemidactylus garnotii Duméril & Bibron, 1836 sensu lato, a parthenogenetic species complex native to parts of Southeast Asia and India, was previously understood to consist solely of females. Despite earlier reports suggesting the possible existence of males, these were attributed to misidentification or incomplete verification. In this study, based on histological and gonadal examination, we report the first confirmed male individuals of H. garnotii from Mizoram, India. Specimens collected from Dampa Tiger Reserve and Palak National Wetland were analysed through morphological assessments, histology, and genetic sequencing (ND2 gene). Histological findings revealed spermatogenesis stages in males, establishing the presence of functional testes. Our results thus document a notable exception to the presumed all-female composition of H. garnotii, with implications for understanding reproductive strategies in this specie.
Key words : Fertilization, ND2 gene, histology, offspring, reproduction, spermatogenesis
Section Editor: Ivan Ineich
eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v13i2.337
Submitted date: 30 May 2024
Accepted date: 31 October 2024
Published date: 22 December 2024
Pp. 124–131.
SEXUAL MALES IN THE PARTHENOGENETIC Hemidactylus cf. garnotii (SQUAMATA: GEKKONIDAE) IN MIZORAM, INDIA
Krijoboti Thaosen, Jayaditya Purkayastha*, Mathipi Vabeiryureilai & Hmar T. Lalremsanga
*Corresponding author. E-mail: mail.jayaditya@gmail.com
Abstract
Most lizard species reproduce sexually, with both males and females contributing genetic material to offspring. However, a subset, including certain gecko species, reproduces via parthenogenesis, wherein females produce offspring without fertilization. Hemidactylus garnotii Duméril & Bibron, 1836 sensu lato, a parthenogenetic species complex native to parts of Southeast Asia and India, was previously understood to consist solely of females. Despite earlier reports suggesting the possible existence of males, these were attributed to misidentification or incomplete verification. In this study, based on histological and gonadal examination, we report the first confirmed male individuals of H. garnotii from Mizoram, India. Specimens collected from Dampa Tiger Reserve and Palak National Wetland were analysed through morphological assessments, histology, and genetic sequencing (ND2 gene). Histological findings revealed spermatogenesis stages in males, establishing the presence of functional testes. Our results thus document a notable exception to the presumed all-female composition of H. garnotii, with implications for understanding reproductive strategies in this specie.
Key words : Fertilization, ND2 gene, histology, offspring, reproduction, spermatogenesis
Section Editor: Ivan Ineich
- List of Articles & Contents