DNA Barcoding Reveals Intra-Species Genetic Diversity of Amphiesma stolatum

Amphiesma stolatum is a widely distributed snake species. But the intra-species genetic information is still limited from India. This paper provides the first-time barcode data of A. stolatum (cox1 and 16s rRNA) sampled from Mizoram State, India. We compare the newly generated sequences with the conspecies sequences from the Indo-Malayan region, and establishes its phylogenetic relationship with its sister genera. We diagnosed a total of five haplotypes from the cox1 gene fragment with 0.844 and 0.004 as the haplotype diversity (hd) and nucleotide diversity (Pi), respectively. The specimens from Mizoram showed a Kimura 2 parameter genetic distance of 0.21% (16s rRNA) and 1.05–1.22% (cox1) with the sequences from Guangdong Province, China; 1.22% (cox1) with the sequences from Hubei Province, China; 0.87–1.05% (cox1) with that from Taiwan; 8.05% with the specimen vouchered in the Natural History Museum, London. The mean intra-specific K2P distances are 4% and 0.36% in 16s rRNA and cox1, respectively. We also contribute new distributional records and elevational range, with notes on additional morphological data and occurrence of the two distinct morphs in Mizoram, Northeast India.