Skeletal polymorphism and genetic drift in a Delhi frog, Rana cyanophlictis

Abstract

Nineteen axial skeletal variants are described in the frog Rana cyanophlictis, collected from five isolated populations of Delhi. Four of these populations came from large perennial ponds and one, a transitory population, was entrapped from a temporary rain pool. The populations were found to diverge significantly from each other in the incidence of these skeletal variants. We have attributed this divergence to genetic drift, but the effects of unknown selective forces cannot be ruled out.