The karyotype of Alouatta pigra (Primates: Platyrrhini): mitotic and meiotic analyses

STEINBERG, E.R.; CORTÉS-ORTIZ, L.; NIEVES, M.; BOLZÁN, A.D.; GARCÍA-ORDUÑA, F.; HERMIDA-LAGUNES, J.; CANALES-ESPINOSA, D.; MUDRY, M.D.

CYTOGENETIC AND GENOME RESEARCH

S. Karger AG

Lugar: Basel (Suiza); Año: 2008 vol. 122 p. 103 - 109

1424-8581

We describe for the first time the karyotype of the black howler monkey, Alouatta pigra. Conventional staining, G and C banding, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) pantelomeric probe were conducted. Eight free ranging individuals, four male and four female adult specimens, within the natural distribution of the species presented 2N=58. Mitotic analyses showed an autosomal complement composed by 6 submetacentric chromosome pairs, 3 metacentric, and 19 acrocentric for females and 6 submetacentric, 3 metacentric, and 18 acrocentric for males. Meiotic analyses in males revealed 27 autosomal bivalents and a sexual quadrivalent composed by a submetacentric X1 and acrocentric X2, Y1, and Y2. The G banded karyotype allowed us to identify pair #17 as the autosomal pair involved in the rearrangement and the morphology of the sexual quadrivalent components. C-banding technique in Metaphase I corroborated the structure of the sexual quadrivalent showing four centromeres C+. FISH analysis showed telomeric signals at the terminal regions of all chromosomes. No interstitial signals were detected. DNA sequence data were in accordance with those previously published for this species.