Karyotype of the Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake, Pelamis platurus

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Abstract
The karyotype of the yellow-bellied sea snake, P. platurus from Costa Rica is described. The diploid number is 38 chromosomes, with 20 macrochromosomes and 18 microchromosomes. The pairs 1 and 2 are metacentrics, pair 3 is subtelocentric and pairs from 4 to 9 have the centromere in a terminal position. Females have a pair of slightly heteromorphic chromosomes identified as sex chromosomes Z and W; both are metacentrics but have different centromeric index and W is slightly smaller. The pattern of heteromorphism in sex chromosomes and the secondary constriction present in some sea snake karyotypes could be useful parameters in determining evolutionary relationships between the sea snakes.

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