'Gestreepte' ringslangen in Nederland - Genetica, achtergrond en risico's

Striped grass snakes in the Netherlands - Genetics, background and risks. The barred grass snake Natrix helvetica is native to the Netherlands. The closely related grass snake N. natrix was long suspected to have been introduced at multiple sites in the Netherlands, based on observations of individuals that possess lateral tripes(characteristic of the subspecies N. n. persa). We genotyped snakes from suspicious populations for mitochondrial DNA and provide firm evidence that N. natrix has indeed been introduced in the Netherlands. We summarize anecdotal information on the origin of these introductions and discuss the high risk of genetic pollution of the native N. helvetica