From crossings between Mesocricetus brandti ♀ and Mesocricetus newtoni ♂ 23 hybrids were obtained which presented characters intermediate between the parents and which were completely sterile. The number of chromosomes in the hybrid animals (2n=40) is also intermediate between the parents and the karyotype presents two distinct chromosome sets corresponding to those in the two parent species. The regular presence of multivalents at diakinesis and metaphase I probably causes the non balanced disjunction of the genetic material, and thus, probably, the total sterility of the hybrids. The study of sex chromatin showed the existence of a sex dimorphism, the female presenting more nuclei with 1–2 sex chromatin bodies. The presence of 2 sex chromatin bodies of different sixes may be explained by the heteroehromatinization of a whole X chromosome and half of its homologue.
Histological study showed that the male and female genital apparatus are intensively affected in hybrids and the spermatogenetic and oogenetic activity is generally stopped. This determines the total sterility of the hybrids.
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Raicu, P., Ionescu-Varo, M., Nicolaescu, M. et al. Interspecific hybrids between Romanian and Kurdistan hamsters. Genetica 43, 223–230 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00123628
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00123628