Comparative karyological studies of two Egyptian marine species of genus Aplysia (Gastropoda—Mollusca)

SUMMARY

Chromosomes were counted in the preparation of gill and gonad tissues from the two species Aplysia dactylomela and Aplysia punctata collected from different localities along the coasts of the Red Sea from Hurghada to Qusier City in Upper Egypt. A basic diploid chromosome number of 24 and 32 were presented in Aplysia dactylomela and A. punctata respectively. In the former one the karyotype consists of: seven metacentric pairs, two subtelocentric pairs and three telocentric pairs, while in the latter one the karyotype consists of just one group which contain sixteen metacentric pairs of chromosomes. These results are reported for the first time in Egypt.