Chromosome banding in Amphibia

Abstract

Extensive cytogenetic analyses on a population of the leptodactylid frog Eleutherodactylus riveroi in northern Venezuela revealed the existence of multiple XXAA♂/XYAA♀/XAA^Y♀ sex chromosomes. The XAA^Y karyotype originated by a centric (Robertsonian) fusion between the original, free Y chromosome and an autosome. 46.2% of the male individuals in this population are carriers of this Y-autosome fusion. In male meiosis the XAA^Y sex chromosomes pair in the expected trivalent configuration. In the same population 53.8% of the male animals still possess the original, free XY sex chromosomes. E. riveroi is only the second vertebrate species discovered in which a derived Y-autosome fusion coexists with the ancestral free XY sex chromosomes. The free XY sex chromosomes, as well as the multiple XA^Y sex chromosomes are still in a very primitive (homomorphic) stage of differentiation. With no banding technique applied it is possible to distinguish the Y from the X. Various banding techniques and in situ hybridizations have been carried out to characterize the karyotypes. DNA flow cytometric measurements show that the genome size of E. riveroi resembles that of other Eleutherodactylus species. The cytogenetic data obtained in E. riveroi are compared with those of the sole other vertebrate known to possess the extremely rare, multiple XXAA♂/XYAA♀/XAA^Y♀ sex chromosomes. Surprisingly enough, this vertebrate again is a frog belonging to the genus Eleutherodactylus [E. (maussi) biporcatus] which lives exactly in the same habitat in northern Venezuela as does E. riveroi.