Cytogenetic Studies of Fishing Cat, Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett 1833) and Asiatic Golden Cat, Catopuma temminckii (Vigors and Horsfield 1827) by Conventional Staining, G-banding and High-resolution Techniques

Abstract

The fishing cat, Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett 1833) and the Asiatic golden cat, Catopuma temminckii (Vigos and Horsfield 1827) are two of many wild cat species currently listed as vulnerable or endangered in Thailand. 20 conventional staining, G-banding and high-resolution metaphase spreads obtained from lymphocyte cultures were analyzed for each animal. The female fishing cat has diploid chromosome number of 2n=38 and the fundamental number (NF) was 74. There are 6 autosome types: A type had 6 large submetacentric, B type had 8 large acrocentric, C type had 4 large metacentric, D type had 4 medium and 4 small submetacentric, E type had 8 small metacentric and F type had 2 small telocentric chromosomes. The female Asiatic golden cat had 2n=38, and the NF was 72. There are 6 autosome types: A type had 4 large and 2 medium submetacentric, B type had 6 large and 2 medium acrocentric, C type had 4 large metacentric, D type had 8 small submetacentric, E type had 6 small metacentric and F type had 4 small telocentric chromosomes. The female fishing cat and the Asiatic golden cat have a pair of the short arm of chromosome E1 (chromosome pairs 14) showed clearly observable satellite chromosomes. The X chromosome was submetacentric chromosome. From G-banding and high-resolution technique, number of bands were 184, 211 and 204, 245, respectively. We found that chromosomes A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B4, X (fishing cat) and A1, A2, A3, C2, D1, D4, E1, E2, E3, F1, F2, X (Asiatic golden cat) patterns are same as domestic cat (Felis catus) chromosomes. Chromosomes B3, C1, C2, D1, D2, D3, D4, E1, E2, E3, F1 (fishing cat) and C1, D2, D4 (Asiatic golden cat) are similar to those of domestic cat chromosomes. These results show the evolutionary relationship between the wild cat (fishing cat, Asiatic golden cat) and the domestic cat. The karyotype formula of the female fishing cat and the Asiatic golden cat are as follows:Fishing cat: 2n(38)=L4m+L6sm+L8a+M4sm+S8m+S4sm+S2t+sex chromosomes.Asiatic golden cat: 2n(38)=L4m+L4sm+L6a+M2sm+M2a+S6m+S8sm+S4t+sex chromosomes.