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Buccal swabbing as a source of DNA from squamate reptiles

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Abstract

Buccal swabbing was compared with other tissues as a source of DNA for microsatellite genotyping from two squamate reptiles. For both species, the lizard Lacerta agilis and the snake Coronella austriaca, buccal swabbing proved more reliable than tissues including tail tips, toe clips and ventral scale clips.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks M. Beebee for sampling assistance, to Dave Bird, and to Nick Moulton of the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT), for their help in obtaining specimens and to the British Ecological Society for financial support. All this work was under licence from Natural England and the UK Home Office.

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Correspondence to Trevor J. C. Beebee.

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Beebee, T.J.C. Buccal swabbing as a source of DNA from squamate reptiles. Conserv Genet 9, 1087–1088 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9464-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9464-2

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