An Updated List of Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca) Haplotypes from the Apennines—Central Italy

Abstract

We report an updated and expanded list of Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca) haplotypes found in wild animals throughout the Apennines of central Italy. Samples were collected and identified during a monitoring program of autochthonous Galliformes and from a private collection. The haplotypes were identified on a longer fragment of the mitochondrial control region (D-loop) based on previously reported haplotypes. This novel evidence, based on a wider sampling area and a higher number of analyzed specimens, will be of relevance in both conservation projects and gamebird breeding for restock, as imposed by the Italian Action Plan. Studying longer fragments can also be useful for phylogeographic analysis.