title: Karyotype of Philodryas nattereri and Philodryas olfersii with a comparative analysis of the Dipsadidae family.
abstract: Cytogenetic studies of Philodryas nattereri and Philodryas olfersii revealed a diploid chromosome number 2n = 36 for both species (3 metacentrics, 4 submetacentrics, and 10 acrocentrics, with a fundamental number of 51 and 52, respectively). The results obtained are novel and similar to those previously described for species belonging to the Dipsadidae family. The conventional karyotype is also novel and divergent from other species of the Dipsadidae family, where a higher proportion of macrochromosomes predominate, revealing two distinct groups in this family. The data are reported and discussed considering the cytotaxonomy of the family. These results strongly support the current view that chromosomal alterations, such as centric fusion and Robertsonian's translocations, seems to support the distinct importance of chromosomal rearrangements in speciation within this group.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil marinetes@ufc.br.
authors.forename: M D A
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Nery
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: M A O
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Aquino
authors.affiliation: Hospital Geral de Fortaleza, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Nery
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Messejana, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: L B M
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Bezerra
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: R T M
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
authors.forename: H S A
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Monteiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D004171:Diploidy; D059785:Karyotype; D007621:Karyotyping; D012911:Snakes / Q000235:genetics*