Karyotypic variation in Rhinophylla pumilio Peters, 1865 and comparative analysis with representatives of two subfamilies of Phyllostomidae (Chiroptera)

Julio Pieczarka,Solange Farias,Cleusa Nagamachi,L Rodrigues,A Gomes,J Rissino

doi:10.3897/compcytogen.v6i2.1679

Abstract

The family Phyllostomidae belongs to the most abundant and diverse group of bats in the Neotropics with more morphological traits variation at the family level than any other group within mammals. In this work, we present data of chromosome banding (G, C and Ag-NOR) and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) for representatives of Rhinophylla pumilio Peters, 1865 collected in four states of Brazil (Amazonas, Bahia, Mato Grosso and Pará). Two karyomorphs were found in this species: 2n=34, FN=64 in populations from western Pará and Mato Grosso states and 2n=34, FN=62 from Amazonas, Bahia, and northeastern Pará and Marajó Island (northern). Difference in the Fundamental Number is determined by variation in the size of the Nucleolar Organizer Region (NOR) accompanied with heterochromatin on chromosomes of pair 16 or, alternatively, a pericentric inversion. The C-banding technique detected constitutive heterochromatin in the centromeric regions of all chromosomes and on the distal part of the long arm of pair 15 of specimens from all localities. FISH with a DNA telomeric probe did not show any interstitial sequence, and an 18S rDNA probe and silver staining revealed the presence of NOR in the long arm of the pair 15, associated with heterochromatin, and in the short arm of the pair 16 for all specimens. The intra-specific analysis using chromosome banding did not show any significant difference between the samples. The comparative analyses using G-banding have shown that nearly all chromosomes of Rhinophylla pumilio were conserved in the chromosome complements of Glossophaga soricina Pallas, 1766, Phyllostomus hastatus Pallas, 1767, Phyllostomus discolor Wagner, 1843 and Mimon crenulatum Geoffroy, 1801, with a single chromosomal pair unique to Rhinophylla pumilio (pair 15). However, two chromosomes of Mimon crenulatum are polymorphic for two independent pericentric inversions. The karyotype with 2n=34, NF=62 is probably the ancestral one for the other karyotypes described for Rhinophylla pumilio.

Highlights

The subfamily Carolliinae encompasses two genera: Carollia Gray, 1838 (10 species) and Rhinophylla Peters, 1865 (3 species) with wide distribution throughout South America
The autosomal complement consists of 15 pairs biarmed and one pair of acrocentric chromosomes in samples collected from Bahia, Amazonas, northeastern Pará and Marajó Island (Fig. 2a)
The Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) with rDNA and subsequent double staining with DAPI and CMA3 are in agreement with the patterns of G-bands and R-bands, respectively, where the R-bands show the tips of the chromosomes and its association with the Nucleolar Organizer Region (NOR) (Fig. 3b)

Summary

Introduction

The subfamily Carolliinae (sensu Wetterer et al 2000) encompasses two genera: Carollia Gray, 1838 (10 species) and Rhinophylla Peters, 1865 (3 species) with wide distribution throughout South America. Rhinophylla consists of the smallest animals in the subfamily and has three currently recognized species: Rhinophylla pumilio Peters, 1865 and Rhinophylla fischerae Carter, 1966, with distribution on the east side of Andes in South America, and Rhinophylla alethina Handley, 1966 with distribution on the Pacific slope and lowlands of Colombia and Ecuador (McLellan and Koopman 2007). The genus Rhinophylla has diversified karyotypes with four karyomorphs for R. pumilio (Tables 1 and 2) and two for R. fischerae (Baker and Bleier 1971, Baker 1979, Baker et al 1987, Gomes et al 2010).

Methods

Results

Conclusion