Abstract
Species of the subgenus Bulinus s.s. occur in a polyploid series which is of interest because of the rarity of polyploidy in animal species and because there appears to be a relation between ploidy level and ability to transmit Schistosoma haematobium, a parasite of major public health importance. We describe a technique for the preparation of standard karyotypes using cell suspensions from colchicine-treated embryos. The results for two diploid species, B. tropicus (Krauss) and B. natalensis (Küster), are presented. Both karyotypes consist of 15 metacentric and 3 submetacentric chromosomes. However, differences in centromere position are found in four pairs of chromosomes, and in the appearance of a secondary constriction. Because B. natalensis may represent a relict taxon involved in the origin of the polyploids, the results of significance for future work on the phylogeny of this group.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 361-367 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Canadian journal of genetics and cytology. Journal canadien de génétique et de cytologie |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1980 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
- Plant Science
- Cell Biology