Search

The present study aimed to cytogenetically analyse five Ctenidae species Ctenus ornatus (Keyserling, 1877), Ctenus medius (Keyserling, 1891), Phoneutria nigriventer (Keyserling, 1891), Viracucha andicola (Simon, 1906), and Enoploctenus cyclothorax (Philip Bertkau, 1880), from Brazil. All species presented a 2n♂ = 28 except for V. andicola, which showed 2n♂ = 29. Analysis of segregation and behavior of sex chromosomes during male meiosis showed a sex chromosome system of the type X1X20 in species with 28 chromosomes and X1X2X30 in V. andicola. C banding stained with fluorochromes CMA3 and DAPI revealed two distributions patterns of GC-rich heterochromatin: (i) in terminal regions of most chromosomes, as presented in C. medius, P. nigriventer, E. cyclothorax and V. andicola and (ii) in interstitial regions of most chromosomes, in addition to terminal regions, as observed for C. ornatus. The population of Ubatuba (Sao Paulo State) of this same species displayed an additional accumulation of GC-rich heterochromatin in one bivalent. Fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed that this bivalent corresponded to the NOR-bearing chromosome pair. All analyzed species have one bivalent with 18S rDNA site, except P. nigriventer, which has three bivalents with 18S rDNA site. Karyotypes of two species, C. medius and E. cyclothorax, are described for the first time. The latter species is the first karyotyped representative of the subfamily Acantheinae. Finally, 18S rDNA probe is used for the first time in Ctenidae at the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Araneidae is among the most speciose spider families, but there are few karyotype studies (1.9%) and some species-rich clades are without any chromosomal study. Understanding the evolution of chromosome number and Sex Chromosome Systems is made more difficult by many uncertain evolutionary relationships within the family. In this work, the chromosomal analysis of eight araneid species (Acacesia benigna Glueck, 1994, Actinosoma pentacanthum (Walckenaer, 1841), Alpaida bicornuta (Taczanowski, 1878), Dubiepeira Levi, 1991 sp., Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758), Parawixia bistriata (Rengger, 1836), Verrucosa meridionalis (Keyserling, 1892) and Verrucosa scapofracta Lise, Kesster & Silva, 2015), contribute to discussions of some evolutionary scenarios of chromosome evolution. The gonads were submitted to colchicine treatment, hypotonization, slide preparation, and Giemsa staining. The species analyzed showed 2n♂ = 24 (11II + X1X2), except Dubiepeira sp. with 2n♂ = 41 (19II + X1X2X3), and both Verrucosa species, which presented 2n♂ = 47 (22II + X1X2X3) in V. meridionalis and 2n♂ = 50 (23II + X1X2X3X4) in V. scapofracta. The species analyzed possess all chromosomes with acro/telocentric chromosomal morphology. The 2n♂ = 24, X1X2 found in most species studied here is the most frequent karyotype in the Araneidae. This study presents the first chromosomal data for the diverse clade "Micrathenines", the highest diploid number among entelegynes (2n♂ = 50), and the first record of an X1X2X3X4 in the Araneidae. The chromosome data suggest a series of fission events in the origin of Verrucosa karyotypes, and a close relationship between Dubiepeira sp. and Araneus ventricosus (L. Koch, 1878). Moreover, Alpaida bicornuta can be cytotaxonomically distinguished of other Alpaida species karyotyped up to now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]