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Karyotype and meiosis studies in Oxycatantops spissus (Walker) (Orthoptera: Acrididae)
Abstract
The standard karyotype of Oxycatantops spissus (Walker) (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Acridinae) from Limbe in the South West Province of Cameroon, comprises 2n = 23 acrocentric chromosomes in the male with the XO/XX sex determining mechanism [2n = 23 (22AA+XO)]. The karyotype structure is represented by five pairs of long (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5), three pairs of medium (M6, M7, M8) and three pairs of short (S9, S10, S11) autosomes. The acrocentric X chromosome is approximately equal in size to the short (S) autosomes. The meiotic process in this species was normal and chiasmate. Mean chiasa frequency in the wet season (16.36 ± 1.77) was significantly higher (p = 0.05) than in the dry season (15.00 ± 1.60). The differences probably lie in the fact that in the wet season many long bivalents had two or more chiasmata while in the dry season only a few long chromosomes had two or more chiasmata.
Keywords: Karyotype, Chiasma frequency, Dry & Wet season, Acrididae, Grasshopper, Oxycatantops spissus.
International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences Vol. 2 (2) 2008: pp. 168-174