A note on karyotypes ofSorex caecutiens(Mammalia, Insectivora) from Cheju Island, Korea

Abstract

Abstract Karyotypes of Sorex caecutiens from Cheju Island of Korea were examined with conventional staining and G-banding by trypsin treatment stained with Giemsa (GTG). The diploid and fundamental autosomal arm numbers were 42 and 66, respectively. The autosomal complement in the karyotype comprised six pairs of metacentrics, seven pairs of submetacentrics or subtelocentrics, and seven pairs of acrocentrics. The X was a largest acrocentric chromosome, and the Y was a small subtelocentric chromosome. Chromosomal constitutions and G-banding pattern of S. caecutiens from Cheju Island were essentially identical to those reported for S. shinto from Honshu Island, Japan. This similarity may indicate the ancestral character of the monophyletic S. caecutiens/shinto group.