Abstract
Chromosomal variation was analysed in 22 populations of newts of the salmandrid genusTaricha of western North America, and compared with that of the eastern North American newts of the genusNotophthalmus. The karyotypes of the speciesTaricha andNotophthalmus were very similar. However, there was considerable variation in the distribution patterns of heterochromatins (revealed by C-banding) and in the sites of the nucleolar organizing region (NOR) (revealed by fluorochrome chromomycin A3 banding) within and between species of these two genera. Chromosomal variation patterns were interpreted in relation to a phylogenetic hypothesis derived from data on mitochrondrial DNA sequences and allozyme variation. This study suggests that the pattern distributions of heterochromatins in chromosomes ofTaricha are more derived than those of its sister taxonNotophthalmus. Furthermore, the chromosomal NOR types found in the southernmost and northernmost populations ofT. granulosa, in the northernmost populations ofT. t. sierrae, and in the southern populations ofT. t. torosa are recently derived. The implications of this chromosomal variation for phylogeny and biogeography are discussed.
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Tan, AM. Chromosomal variation in the northwestern American newts of the genusTaricha (Caudata: Salamandridae). Chromosome Res 2, 281–292 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01552722
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01552722