title: Comparative cytogenetics of Physalaemus albifrons and Physalaemus cuvieri species groups (Anura, Leptodactylidae).
abstract: Recently, Physalaemus albifrons (Spix, 1824) was relocated from the Physalaemus cuvieri group to the same group as Physalaemus biligonigerus (Cope, 1861), Physalaemus marmoratus (Reinhardt & Lütken, 1862) and Physalaemus santafecinus Barrio, 1965. To contribute to the analysis of this proposition, we studied the karyotypes of Physalaemus albifrons, Physalaemus santafecinus and three species of the Physalaemus cuvieri group. The karyotype of Physalaemus santafecinus was found to be very similar to those of Physalaemus biligonigerus and Physalaemus marmoratus, which were previously described. A remarkable characteristic that these three species share is a conspicuous C-band that extends from the pericentromeric region almost to the telomere in the short arm of chromosome 3. This characteristic is not present in the Physalaemus albifrons karyotype and could be a synapomorphy of Physalaemus biligonigerus, Physalaemus marmoratus and Physalaemus santafecinus. The karyotype of Physalaemus santafecinus is also similar to those of Physalaemus marmoratus and Physalaemus biligonigerus owing to the presence of several terminal C-bands and the distal localization of the NOR in a small metacentric chromosome. In contrast, the Physalaemus albifrons karyotype has no terminal C-bands and its NOR is located interstitially in the long arm of submetacentric chromosome 8. The NOR-bearing chromosome of Physalaemus albifrons very closely resembles those found in Physalaemus albonotatus (Steindachner, 1864), Physalaemus cuqui Lobo, 1993 and some populations of Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826. Additionally, the Physalaemus albifrons karyotype has an interstitial C-band in chromosome 5 that has been exclusively observed in species of the Physalaemus cuvieri group. Therefore, we were not able to identify any chromosomal feature that supports the reallocation of Physalaemus albifrons.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Estrutural e Funcional, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, 6109, 13083-863, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Stenio Eder
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Vittorazzi
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Estrutural e Funcional, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, 6109, 13083-863, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Yeda Rumi Serra Douglas
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Quinderé
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Estrutural e Funcional, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, 6109, 13083-863, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Shirlei Maria
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Recco-Pimentel
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (CONICET-UNaM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones; Félix de Azara 1552, CPA N3300LQF, Posadas, Misiones, Argentina.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tomatis
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (CONICET-UNaM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones; Félix de Azara 1552, CPA N3300LQF, Posadas, Misiones, Argentina.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baldo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Amapá - IEPA, Centro de Pesquisas Zoobotanicas e Geologicas (CPZG), Divisão de Zoologia, Rodovia Juscelino Kubistchek, S/N, Campus da Fazendinha (Distrito da Fazendinha, Macapá, Amapá, Brazil.
authors.forename: Janaina Reis Ferreira
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (CONICET-UNaM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones; Félix de Azara 1552, CPA N3300LQF, Posadas, Misiones, Argentina.
authors.forename: Juan Martín
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas e Tecnológicas do Amapá - IEPA, Centro de Pesquisas Zoobotanicas e Geologicas (CPZG), Divisão de Zoologia, Rodovia Juscelino Kubistchek, S/N, Campus da Fazendinha (Distrito da Fazendinha, Macapá, Amapá, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jucivaldo Dias
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Estrutural e Funcional, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, 6109, 13083-863, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana Bolsoni
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Lourenço
keywords: C-banding; Chromosome; NOR; Physalaemus; heterochromatin