Karyotypes of the N. ugandensis species group
Krysanov, E. Y., B. Nagy, B. R. Watters, A. Sember & S. A. Simanovsky. 2023. Karyotype differentiation in the Nothobranchius ugandensis species group (Teleostei, Cyprinodontiformes), seasonal fishes from the east African inland plateau, in the context of phylogeny and biogeography. Comparative Cytogenetics, 17 (1): 13–29.
The karyotype differentiation of the twelve known members of the Nothobranchius ugandensis species group is reviewed. Changes in the architecture of eukaryotic genomes often have a major impact on processes underlying reproductive isolation, adaptation and diversification. African annual killifishes of the genus Nothobranchius, which are adapted to an extreme environment of ephemeral wetland pools in African savannahs, feature extensive karyotype evolution in small, isolated populations and thus are suitable models for studying the interplay between karyotype change and species evolution. The present investigation reveals a highly conserved diploid chromosome number (2n = 36) but a variable number of chromosomal arms (46–64) among members of the N. ugandensis species group, implying a significant role of pericentric inversions and/or other types of centromeric shift in the karyotype evolution of the group.
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