Evolutionary genetics of a balanced crypsis polymorphism in the desert clicker grasshopper (Ligurotettix coquilletti)

The desert clicker grasshopper (Ligurotettix coquilletti) is a ubiquitous resident of North America's western deserts (Sonoran, Mojave, and Peninsular Deserts, with isolated populations in the Great Basin). Two color morphs (banded and uniform) are found at variable frequencies across the the species' range. We used RADcap sequencing to test the hypothesis that variation in genomic organization (structural variants) underlies color polymorphism.

沙漠叩头蝗（Ligurotettix coquilletti）为北美西部沙漠（索诺兰沙漠、莫哈韦沙漠及半岛沙漠）的广布常驻物种，在大盆地存在孤立种群。该物种分布范围内存在两种颜色型（条带型与纯色型），其出现频率随分布区域存在差异。我们采用RADcap测序技术，检验了“基因组组织结构变异（结构变异）是该物种颜色多态性成因”这一假说。