for the design of adequate conservation strategies. The mtDNA
control region is a fast-evolving matrilineal marker that has been
employed in the study of marine turtle populations. We developed
and tested a simple molecular tracing system for Caretta caretta
mtDNA haplotypes by polymerase chain reaction-single strand
conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). Using this technique,
we were able to distinguish the SSCP patterns of 18 individuals of the haplotypes CC-A4, CC-A24 and CCxLO, which are commonly found in turtles sampled on the Brazilian coast.