Abstract
Megaselia scalaris has a karyotype of two metacentric chromosome pairs, indistinguishable from one another, and an acrocentric chromosome pair. All three pairs can carry the male determining factor (Mainx, 1966; Tokunaga, 1955b). Seven cytogenetic markers, translocations T1–T7, and three new genetic markers, ge, By and sh, were isolated and characterized during this study. The translocations involved two or all three chromosomes of a haploid chromosome set. All translocations recovered were male specific, transmitted from father to all sons. This allowed us to locate the male determining factor, M, on one of the two metacentric chromosomes in our strain ‘Wien’. By crossing the new gene mutants with the cytogenetic markers, the autosomal mutants ge and By could be located to the acrocentric chromosome, and the partially sex-linked mutant sh to a metacentric. The results are intended to serve as a framework to fit in molecular markers.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bridges, C. B., 1922. The origin of variations in sexual and sexlimited characters. Amer. Nat. 56: 51–63.
Benner, D. B., 1985. Oocyte development and fecundity in Megaselia scalaris (Phoridae: Diptera). Intern. J. Entomol. 27: 280–288.
Bull, J. J., 1983. Evolution of sex determining mechanisms. The Benjamin/Cummings Publ. Comp., London.
Burisch, E., 1963. Beiträge zur Genetik von Megasclia scalaris Loew (Phoridae). Z. Vererbungsl. 94: 322–330.
Curtis, S. K., Benner, D. B. & Cowden, R. R., 1987. Ultrastructure of the larval salivary glands of Megaselia scalaris Loew (Diptera, Phoridae). J. Morphol. 191: 265–288.
Green, M. M., 1980. Transposable elements in Drosophila and other Diptera. Ann. Rev. Genet. 14: 109–120.
Honji, Y., 1957. A new mutant gene silver in Aphiochacta xanthina Speiser (in Japanese). Kobe College Studies 2, 15: 81–89.
Mainx, F., 1959. Die Geschlechtsverhältnisse der Phoride Megasclia scalaris und das Problem einer alternativen Geschlechtsbestimmung. Z. Vererbungsl. 90: 251–256.
Mainx, F., 1964. The genetics of Megaselia scalaris Loew (Phoridae): A new type of sex determination in Diptera. Amer. Nat. 98: 415–430.
Mainx, F., 1966. Die Geschlechtsbestimmung bei Megaselia scalaris Loew (Phoridae). Z. Vererbungsl. 98: 49–60.
Ondrascheck, H., 1953. Vererbungsstudien an Aphiochaeta xanthina Spei. (Phoridae). Z. Vererbungsl. 85: 347–353.
Pipkin, S. B., 1947. A search for sex genes in the second chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster using the triploid method. Genetics 32: 592–607.
Schmitz, H., Beyer, E. & Delage, A., 1981. 33. Phoridae. In: E., Lindner (ed.), Die Fliegen der palaearktischen Region, Band IV, 7, pp. 1–672. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart.
Springer, R., 1967. Konkurrenzversuche mit den drei Geschlechts-bestimmungstypen von Megaselia scalaris Loew (Phoridae). Molec. Gen. Genetics 99: 125–132.
Tokunaga, Ch., 1953. Life cycle and chromosomes of Aphiochaeta xanthina Speiser from Okinawa (in Japanese). Kobe College Studies 1: 23–28.
Tokunaga, Ch., 1954. Genetic studies on Aphiochaeta xanthina Speiser: The genetic behaviour of three sex-linked mutants (in Japanese). Kobe College Studies 3: 13–26.
Tokunaga, Ch., 1955a. A possible explanation concerning the sex determination mechanism in Aphiochaeta xanthina Speiser (in Japanese). Kobe College Studies 4: 65–75.
Tokunaga, Ch., 1955b. The presence of male determining factor in Aphiochaeta xanthina Speiser. Kobe College Studies 2, 2: 1–32.
Tokunaga, Ch., 1958. The Y chromosome in sex determination of Aphiochaeta xanthina Speiser. Proc. X. Intern. Cong. Genet. 2: 295–296.
Ullerich, F.-H., 1975. Identifizierung der genetischen Geschlechts-chromosomen bei der monogamen Schmeißfliege Chrysomya rufifacies (Calliphoridae, Diptera). Chromosoma 50: 393–419.
Wolf, K. W., Johnson, D. S. & Traut, W., 1988. Centromere-like elements devoid of chromosome arms in Megasclia scalaris (Diptera). IIIrd Kew Chromosome Conference (in press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Johnson, D.S., Mertl, H.G. & Traut, W. Inheritance of cytogenetic and new genetic markers in Megasella scalaris, a fly with an unusual sex determining mechanism. Genetica 77, 159–170 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122386
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122386