Cuevas & Formas—Cytogenetic analysis of Batrachyla

New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts

Cytogenetics of Batrachyla species (Anura: Neobatrachia: Ceratophryidae) of southern South America, with phylogenetics comments

C. C. Cuevas

J. R. Formas

Instituto de Zoología
Universidad Austral de Chile
Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile

Author for correspondence: ccuevas@uach.cl

Abstract A comparative cytogenetic analysis showed that B. antartandica, B. leptopus, B. nibaldoi and B. taeniata share the same diploid number 2n = 26, but not the same fundamental number (FN), which was 52 in B. leptopus and 50 in the other three species. The karyotype of B. nibaldoi, including C-band patterns and locations of the NORs, are described for the first time. The C-band patterns were species-specific and were helpful in distinguishing taxa. Batrachyla leptopus can be distinguished from its congeners by the absence of telocentric chromosomes and by secondary constrictions in the long arms of pair 6 and short arms of pairs 7 and 11. The chromosomal data suggest that Batrachyla might be a paraphyletic genus.

Keywords Batrachyla; Chile; cytogenetics; karyotype; systematic

Z07048; Online publication date 27 June 2008; Received 4 October 2007; accepted 8 March 2008

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