title: The blue butterfly Polyommatus (Plebicula) atlanticus (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) holds the record of the highest number of chromosomes in the non-polyploid eukaryotic organisms.
abstract: The blue butterfly species Polyommatus (Plebicula) atlanticus (Elwes, 1906) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) is known to have a very high haploid number of chromosomes (n= circa 223). However, this approximate count made by Hugo de Lesse 45 years ago was based on analysis of a single meiotic I metaphase plate, not confirmed by study of diploid chromosome set and not documented by microphotographs. Here I demonstrate that (1) Polyommatus atlanticus is a diploid (non-polyploid) species, (2) its meiotic I chromosome complement includes at least 224-226 countable chromosome bodies, and (3) all (or nearly all) chromosome elements in meiotic I karyotype are represented by bivalents. I also provide the first data on the diploid karyotype and estimate the diploid chromosome number as 2n=ca448-452. Thus, Polyommatus atlanticus is confirmed to possess the highest chromosome number among all the non-polyploid eukaryotic organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Karyosystematics, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; Department of Entomology, Faculty of Biology, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: Vladimir A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Lukhtanov
keywords: Acipenser; Amoeba proteus; Astacus; Aulacantha scolymantha; Lycaenidae; Ophioglossum; Pacifastacus; Plebicula; Polyommatus; chromosome number; karyotype evolution; linkage group; vizcacha rat