Cytogenetic study of the giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis Zimmermann 1780 (Carnivora, Mustelidae, Lutrinae)

The giant otter, Pteronura brasiliensis Zimmermann 1780 (Carnivora, Mustelidae, Lutrinae), was widely distributed in South America but stable populations are now only found in the Pantanal and Amazon regions and the species is classified as endangered. There is only one recognized species of giant otter, although two subspecies of doubtful value have also been cited in the literature. We present the first karyotype of four captive P. brasiliensis specimens, all of which posses 2n = 38 chromosomes as 14M+8SM+6ST+8A and one pair of sexual chromosomes. An heteromorphic secondary constriction, associated with the nucleolar organizer region (NOR), was seen on the long arms of chromosome pair 17. The C-banding technique revealed heterochromatin in the centromeric region of all the chromosomes and the NOR was C-banding positive. The giant otter presented the same diploid number as most mustelids, although its karyotype is quite species-specific.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Franco-de-Sá,Jorge Felipe Oliveira, Rosas,Fernando César Weber, Feldberg,Eliana
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Genética 2007
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1415-47572007000600011
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