loading page

Molecular sexing of Xenarthra: A tool for genetic and ecological studies
  • +2
  • Carmen Barragan Ruiz,
  • Eliana Paviotti-Fischer,
  • Karen Rodriguez-Castro,
  • Arnaud Jean Desbiez,
  • Pedro Galetti Jr
Carmen Barragan Ruiz
Universidade Federal de São Carlos

Corresponding Author:car.hele.ruiz@gmail.com

Author Profile
Eliana Paviotti-Fischer
Universidade Federal de São Carlos
Author Profile
Karen Rodriguez-Castro
Universidade Federal de São Carlos
Author Profile
Arnaud Jean Desbiez
Institute for the Conservation of Wild Animals
Author Profile
Pedro Galetti Jr
Universidade Federal de São Carlos
Author Profile

Abstract

Although sex assignment is essential to study biology and ecology of a given animal, in Xenarthra there is still no standardized assay for gender genetic identification. Here, we evaluate the potential of two nuclear fragments [SRY (~180pb) and Zinc finger (~400pb) genes] for sex identification of specimens who have lost their morphological characteristics because of road-kills. DNA samples from seven Xenarthra species were amplified and sequenced for one or both segments. Finally, we performed a case study using tissue samples from road-kill carcasses, which supported the suitability of our markers for poor-quality DNA. The method proved to be efficient for different types of samples and may be especially useful for studies using road-killed and hunted animals.