Abstract: The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtDNA-COI) gene was used to investigate the intraspecific genetic subdivision among 12 geographical populations of Gampsocleis sedakovii distributed in Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Sichuan provinces, China. As for the 626 bp mtDNA-COI sequences of 36 individuals, 29 haplotypes and 71 (11.3%) polymorphic sites were detected, including 37 parsimony informative and 34 singleton variable sites. The results of the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the percentage of variation within populations (37.23%) was less than that among populations. The Fst value was 0.62770 (P< 0.001), and the genetic divergence among populations was significant. Maximum parsimony (MP) analysis revealed two clearly differentiated branch (Ⅰ and Ⅱ) with high bootstrap support (100%). However, these two branches did not correspond in the subspecies distinction based on morphological character. Based on the habitats analysis, we preliminary inferred that morphological divergence between Gampsocleis se-dakovii sedakovii and Gampsocleis sedakovii obscura was the result of habitat dissimilarity. The majority of the G. se-dakovii individuals collected in NTL (Tongliao, Inner Mongolia) were identified as the members of branch Ⅱ, but one individual (NTL-3) belonged to branch Ⅰ. Thus, at least this locality was occupied by two phylogenetically independent individuals. Haplotypes (H10) were shared by three localities, NTL, NEWK (Ewenke, Inner Mongolia) and JJL (Jilin, Jilin), indicated that they shared a common ancestor. We approved that Northeastern China (Manchuria China) was the center of G. sedakovii genetic differentiation, but disapproved the subspecies distinction based on morphological character.

Key words: Gampsocleis sedakovii, mtDNA-COI, COI-Numts, haplotype, geographic population, genetic differentiation