CONSERVATIVE CHROMOSOMAL CHANGE IN THE BAT FAMILY MORMOOPIDAE

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
G-band patterns are described for the karyotypes of both genera and all subgenera of mormoopid bats. A nomenclatural system is proposed for the mormoopid genome in which each autosomal arm is numbered and all bands on each arm are numbered from the centromere to the telomere. G-band patterns indicate that the karyotypes have remained stable throughout the evolution of the family; both species of Mormoops appear to differ from Pteronotus only by the presence in the former of a prominent G-positive region proximal to the centromere of arm 2. M. blainvilli also possessed a prominent G-positive band in the distal end of arm 9 that stained lightly in all other species. C-band patterns of M. megalophylla showed that most heterochromatic regions were centromeric, and Ag NO3 staining in this species and 2 spp. of Pteronotus showed that all possessed 3 pairs of nucleolar organizer regions on the centromeric ends of acrocentric chromosomes. The karyotype of all Pteronotus seem primitive for the family.