Genetic and morphologic variation within and between populations ofLittorina anguliferafrom Florida

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Abstract
Differences in shell morphology and colour were found between four geographically separated populations of the mangrove periwinkle Littorina angulifera (Lamarck) from the south part of Florida. There was also a genetic divergence between the populations (at most 580 km apart) within 3 of 12 enzyme loci examined, and average genetic identity between populations was estimated to 0.988. It is suggested that gene-flow between populations is limited and that allozyme differences are due to random genetic drift, while differential selection is likely to account for the morphological differences. The genetic identities between L. angulifera and three species of the Littorina ziczac species-complex were low (0.09 to 0.18) compared to that between con-generic species generally obtained within the animal kingdom.