The present work was made to determine the suitability of RAPD analysis for the identification of specimens of two subspecies of South American rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus terrificus and Crotalus durissus collilineatus). The 11 arbitrary primer sequence tested amplified a total of 161 bands, of which 31% were polymorphics when compared with Crotalus specimens. The combining results from different primers allowed the identification of all the specimens under analysis. Several characteristic bands of each subspecies were identified. Dendrogram, based on RAPD markers, show three groups that corresponded to the subspecies of Crotalus, and to Bothrops jararaca specimen.
Rattlesnake; RAPD; genetic variability; molecular markers
