Karyotype, C- and fluorescence banding patterns, NOR location and FISH in the grasshopper Xestotrachelus robustus (Romaleidae)

Abstract

Different techniques involving fluorochrome staining, C-banding, NOR location and FISH were used in order to characterize the karyotype and to determine the characteristics of the constitutive heterochromatin in the genome of grasshopper Xestotrachelus robustus. This species presents uniform karyotype in terms of chromosome number (2n=23,XO in males) but differed in the morphology of some chromosomes of the complement. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was applied to the location of 45S genes. The results of FISH are compared with those coming from classical cytogenetics (C, AgNO3 and CMA3) banding procedures.

Key words:

• constitutive heterochromatin
• NOR
• C-banding
• fluorochromes
• FISH