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The karyotype of Lacerta horváthi (Reptilia, Sauria, Lacertidae)

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Abstract

The chromosomes of Lacerta horváthi have been studied by means of conventional, C-banding, and silver-NOR techniques. The karyotype of this species, characterized by 36 acrocentric macrochromosomes, lacks the typical pair of microchromosomes shared by all other lacertid lizards. It is hypothesized that the microchromosomes could have been translocated to the large elements of the karyotype. The occurrence of such a rearrangement in the chromosome complement of L. horváthi underlines its isolation from the other species of the subgenus Archaeolacerta. The C-banding analysis evidences the existence of a female sex heteromorphism in which the W-chromosome has the same shape and size of the Z, but differs from it in being completely heterochromatic. The nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) are located on a pair of medium size chromosomes in subtelomeric position, where the standard Giemsa-staining reveals secondary constrictions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell'Uomo, Via Borelli 50, 00161, Roma, Italy

    M. Capula & E. Capanna

  2. Museo Friulano di Storia Naturale, Via Grazzano 1, 33100, Udine, Italy

    L. Lapini

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  1. M. Capula
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  2. L. Lapini
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  3. E. Capanna
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Capula, M., Lapini, L. & Capanna, E. The karyotype of Lacerta horváthi (Reptilia, Sauria, Lacertidae). Genetica 79, 11–16 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056060

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056060

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