SALAMANDRA 56(1): 83–86 SALAMANDRA 15 February 2020 ISSN 0036–3375 Correspondence German Journal of Herpetology Correspondence DNA-validated parthenogenesis: first case in a captive Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer) Fernanda Seixas1, Francisco Morinha2, Claudia Luis3, Nuno Alvura3 & Maria dos Anjos Pires1 1) Laboratório de Histologia e Anatomia Patológica, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, CECAV, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal 2) Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain 3) Zoo da Maia, Rua da Igreja, S/N, 4470-184 Maia, Portugal Corresponding author: Maria dos Anjos Pires, e-mail:
[email protected] Manuscript received: 24 September 2019 Accepted: 15 December 2019 by Arne Schulze Parthenogenesis is a natural form of asexual reproduction FP has been reported in various species of major vertebrate in which offspring are produced from unfertilised eggs groups including reptiles, birds and elasmobranchs (sharks (Neaves & Baumann 2011, van der Kooi & Schwander and rays) (Booth & Schuett 2016, Harmon et al. 2016, 2015). This uncommon reproductive strategy has been re- Dudgeon et al. 2017, Ramachandran & McDaniel, ported in less than 0.1% of vertebrate species, neverthe- 2018). Most FP events were documented in captive females less including a wide range of taxa (i.e. fishes, amphibians, after long periods without contact with male conspecifics reptiles, birds and mammals), even in wild populations during their reproductive lifetime (Lampert 2008, Booth (Neaves & Baumann 2011, Booth et al. 2012, van der & Schuett 2016). However, parthenogenesis has recently Kooi & Schwander 2015, Dudgeon et al.