Asymblepharus ladacensis Transcriptome or Gene expression

The Ladakh ground skink, Asymblepharus ladacensis is endemic to the western part of the Himalayas. In general, the Asymblepharus group is still poorly known and current taxonomic relationships are in flux. The three Himalayan species A. himalayanus, A. ladacensis, and A. tragbulensis have frequently been assigned to the genus Himalblepharus Eremchenko, 1987. These species show a remarkably wide vertical distribution from the foothills (ca. 150 m a.s.l.) to high alpine zone, and even up to the snow line (ca. 5,500 m a.s.l.), making them an excellent model to study the genetic basis of adaptations to high altitudes in ectotherms and the evolutionary processes accounting for them. In order to develop molecular markers associated to a broad spectrum of research areas and conservation, we sequenced mRNA from tissues of a female from the Central Himalaya.