Karyological divergence of a Moldovan population of Rana dalmatina Bonaparte, 1838

Abstract. A karyological study conducted by both conventional and banding staining methods (Ag-NOR-, CMA3, and C-banding) evidenced a peculiar heterochromatin pattern on chromosomes of Moldovan specimens of the agile frog, Rana dalmatina. As is normal for all agile frogs, the Moldovan population presented 2n = 26 chromosomes, with NOR loci on the short arms of the third chromosome pair, but differed in showing heavy centromeric, CMA3 positive C-bands on the seventh chromosome pair, and light centromeric, DAPI positive C-bands on five chromosome pairs. In contrast, Moldovan specimens showed no significant difference in two segments of the 16S mitochondrial rRNA gene and in the S1 satellite DNA sequence and organization, in comparison with the GenBank deposited 16S rDNA and S1 DNA satellite sequences of R. dalmatina. Molecular similarity and chromosomal differences between agile frogs from Moldovan and extra-Moldovan populations are discussed.