Genetic Variation in the Texas Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys elator Merriam

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Abstract
Electrophoretically detectable genetic variation for 19 enzymes and one non-enzymatic protein encoded by 29 loci was analyzed in 95 specimens of five species of kangaroo rats (Dipodomys). Six loci were polymorphic in Dipodomys elator and an additional 12 loci exhibited interspecific variation in D. elator, D. merriami, D. spectabilis, D. ordii, and D. phillipsii. D. elator has previously been reported as showing variability at one locus. Coefficients of genetic distance for conspecific populations of D. elator range from 0.028 to 0.039. F-statistics for D. elator indicated significant differentiation for three loci with an overall mean FST of 0.102. Interspecific coefficients of genetic distance ranged from 0.130 to 0.314. Relationships among the five species of Dipodomys indicate that D. elator is more similar to D. phillipsii than to D. spectabilis, D. merriami, or D. ordii. These results are contrary to some previous studies that placed D. elator in the spectabilis group.