Abstract
Chromosomes of the brooding species Lasaea consanguinea were studied as part of a general invertigation of evolutionary genetics of antarctic bivalve species. Laseid species are of particular interest because they are widely distributed geographically, they inhabit the high intertidal zone, and they may reproduce apomictically.
The diploid number of chromosomes for Lasaea consanguinea ranges from 100 to 120, 110 to 112 being most frequent. Karyological data (2n=108) show 6 groups of chromosomes. Group I includes 8 metacentric (m), 3 submetacentric (sm), 2 subtelocentric (st) and 4 telocentric (t) pairs. Group II has 11 t to st pairs; group III, 9 sm to m pairs; group IV, 8 m to sm pairs; group V, 6 st and group VI, 3 m pairs. Within each of the Groups II to VI chromosome pairs are of about the same size and morphology.
The chromosomes of Lasaea consanguinea are unusual because of their abundance, their large size and their numerical variability. We suggest that Lasaea consanguinea has had a hermaphroditic ancestor where abnormal reproduction such as inbreeding, lack of males, and apomixy gave rise to genetic instability, the high number of chromosomes being related to the genetic instability with evolutionary polyploidy or/and supernumerary chromosomes.
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Thiriot-Quiévreux, C., Soyer, F., de Bovée, F. et al. Unusual chromosome complement in the brooding bivalve Lasaea consanguinea . Genetica 76, 143–151 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058813
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058813