Summary
Video-densitometric DNA measurements of Feulgenstained tissues of 42 day old eggs of the corn snake,Elaphe g. guttata (Columbridae, Serpentes), revealed a basic DNA content of 2C=2.17 pg, with somatic polyploidy in the allantois, the chorioallontois, the yolk sac, and other extraembryonic membranes. The maximum value determined was 128C (in binucleate cells 2×128C) at the distal pole of the egg. This is the first report of somatic polyploidy in a snake, and one of the first in reptiles in general.
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Meyer, R., Nagl, W. Somatic polyploidy in extraembryonic membranes of the snake,Elaphe guttata . Protoplasma 172, 132–135 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01379370
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01379370