Abstract
Five members of the melanogaster species subgroup of the subgenus Sophophora have been studied cytologically, their mitotic chromosomes analysed after Giemsa, C-banding and quinacrine staining. In all five species (D. yakuba, D. teissieri, D. erecta, D. orena and D. mauritiana) n=4 and all of the species except D. orena have a typical melanogaster like mitotic karyotype though there are clear differences between species in the distribution of both C+ and Q+ material. D. orena has large metacentric X and Y chromosomes due to the accumulation of intensively fluorescing material on these elements with respect to their homologues in melanogaster. This extra heterochromatin of D. orena correlates with a very high proportion of satellite DNA in its nuclear genome (S. Barnes, unpublished). The polytene chromosomes of these species were studied after quinacrine staining and Q+ material found to be restricted to the polytene fourth chromosomes, with the exception of D. orena which possesses considerable Q+ material in its chromocentre. These findings are discussed in the light of other studies of karyotype evolution in the genus Drosophila.
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Lemeunier, F., Dutrillaux, B. & Ashburner, M. Relationships within the Melanogaster subgroup species of the genus Drosophila (Sophophora). Chromosoma 69, 349–361 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332138
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00332138