AFLP linkage map of hybridizing swallowtail butterflies, Papilio glaucus and Papilio canadensis.

High-density linkage maps provide powerful tools for studying the genetic basis of ecologically relevant adaptations and the genomic scope of introgression. We backcrossed an F(1) hybrid male Papilio glaucus/Papilio canadensis tiger swallowtail butterfly to a pure P. glaucus female and constructed amplified fragment length polymorphism linkage maps from the progeny. The paternal map contains 309 markers distributed among 29 linkage groups, with a corrected map distance of 1167 cM (logarithm of the odds [LOD] = 4.0). The average linkage group contained 10.65 +/- 4.85 markers separated by 32.7 +/- 3.8 cM, with statistically significant clustering. The paternal hybrid map had 18.65% more markers than the maternal P. glaucus map, which provides a rough estimate of the extent of genetic differentiation between the species. The maternal map contains 253 markers among 28 linkage groups, without the X and Y chromosomes. Segregation distortion from expected Mendelian ratios was observed for 94/1096 scored loci (8.6%, P < 0.05). The X chromosome map includes 7 markers spanning 29.3 cM (LOD = 3.0). These naturally hybridizing, female heterogametic species are used to study important questions in the maintenance of species boundaries, sex chromosome introgression, sex-limited mimicry, and host plant use. The map will facilitate research into the physiological, ecological, and evolutionary genetics of these phenomena.