General Considerations on the Karyotypic Evolution of Chelonia from the Amazon Region of Brazil

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The karyotypes of 3 spp. of Chelonia of the family Chelidae, from the Amazon Region of Brazil, are described: Platemys platicephala (2n = 64); Mesoclemmys gibba (2n = 60) and Chelus fimbriatus (2n = 50). A comparison of cytogenetic data is made with data of other species of Chelonia. Centric fusions or elimination of microchromosomes, or both, are an important mechanism responsible for the karyotypic evolution of Chelonia. No sex chromsome is detected in the species studied. In male meiosis of C. fimbriatus, the pachytene cells showed a bivalent with a defined region lacking pairing. This differential behavior may be taken as an indication of sexual difference.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: