Abstract The grasshopper Rhammatocerus brasiliensis shows polymorphism of B chromosomes, but the magnitude of B-chromosome occurrence and the factors that may contribute to their dispersion in the species remain unknown thus far. The present study analyzed the occurrence and dispersion of B chromosomes in R. brasiliensis individuals from 21 populations widely distributed in the Brazilian Northeast. The genetic connectivity between 10 populations was verified through analysis of ISSR markers from 200 individuals. Of the 21 populations, 19 presented individuals with one B chromosome, three with two, and one with three B chromosomes. The B chromosome is of medium size and constitutive heterochromatin (CH) located in the pericentromeric region. A variant B chromosome was observed in three populations, similar in size to that of chromosome X, gap and CH, and located in the terminal region. B chromosome frequencies in different populations varied from 0% to 18,8%, mean 8,5%. The wide distribution of the B chromosome is likely a consequence of the positive gene flow among the analyzed populations. B-chromosome occurrence in populations of R. brasiliensis possibly follows the population genetic structure of the species and, owing to the existence of a variant, its origin may not be recent.

In this study, two species of Romaleidae grasshoppers, Radacridium mariajoseae and R.nordestinum, were analyzed after CMA3/DA/DAPI sequential staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to determine the location of the 18S and 5S rDNA and histone H4 genes. Both species presented karyotypes composed of 2n = 23, X0 with exclusively acrocentric chromosomes. CMA3+ blocks were detected after CMA3/DA/DAPI staining in only one medium size autosome bivalent and in the X chromosome in R. mariajoseae. On the other hand, all chromosomes, except the L1 bivalent, of R. nordestinum presented CMA3+ blocks. FISH analysis showed that the 18S genes are restricted to the X chromosome in R. mariajoseae, whereas these genes were located in the L2,S9 and S10 autosomes in R. nordestinum.In R. mariajoseae, the 5S rDNA sites were localized in the in L1 and L2 bivalents and in the X chromosome. In R. nordestinum, the 5S genes were located in the L2,L3,M4 and M5 pairs. In both species the histone H4 genes were present in a medium size bivalent. Together, these data evidence a great variability of chromosome markers and show that the 18S and 5S ribosomal genes are dispersed in the Radacridium genome without a significant correlation.

Algumas técnicas incluindo bandeamento C, fluorocromos e coloração com nitrato de prata foram utilizadas visando obter informações sobre os padrões de heterocromatina no gafanhoto B. coccineipes. A análise convencional mostrou um cariótipo com 2n = 23 cromossomos nos machos e 2n = 24 nas fêmeas, sistema XO de determinação do sexo e cromossomos acro-telocêntricos. O cromossomo X de tamanho médio mostrou-se heteropicnótico positivo no início da prófase I e negativo em metáfase I. O bandeamento C revelou blocos positivos nas regiões pericentroméricas de todos os cromossomos. A coloração com nitrato de prata nesta espécie evidenciou 3 bivalentes pequenos (S9-S11) portadores de nucléolos com as NORs localizadas nas regiões pericentroméricas. Blocos CMA3-positivos foram visualizados nas regiões pericentroméricas dos pares M6, S9, S10 e S11. Pela coloração seqüencial CMA3/AgNO3 observamos homologia entre as bandas CMA3-positivas e as NORs dos bivalentes S9, S10 e S11. A marcação CMA3-positiva do bivalente M6 poderia representar uma NOR secundária latente. Os resultados obtidos permitiram distinguir duas categorias de heterocromatina constitutiva em B. coccineipes.

Several techniques including C-banding, fluorochromes and silver staining were used to obtain information about heterochromatin patterns in the grasshopper B. coccineipes. Conventional staining showed a karyotype with 2n = 23 chromosomes in males and 2n = 24 in females, as well as XO:XX sex determination and acrotelocentric chromosomes. The medium-sized X chromosome was heteropycnotic positive at the beginning of prophase I and negative in metaphase I. C-banding revealed heterochromatic blocks in the pericentromeric regions of all chromosomes. Silver nitrate staining in this species showed three small bivalents (S9-S11) as nucleolar organizers with NORs located in the pericentromeric regions. CMA3-positive blocks were seen in pericentromeric regions of pairs M6, S9, S10 and S11. Sequential staining with CMA3/AgNO3 revealed homology between the CMA3-positive bands and NORs of the bivalents S9, S10 and S11. The CMA3-positive block of the bivalent M6 could represent a latent secondary NOR. The results obtained permit us to distinguish two categories of the constitutive heterochromatin in B. coccineipes.