Abstract The chromosomes of two freshwater stingrays, Potamotrygon motoro and Potamotrygon sp., from the Amazon River basin in Brazil were investigated using integrated molecular (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) and cytogenetic analyses. Potamotrygon motoro presented intraspecific variation in the diploid number, with 2n=66 in the females and 2n=65 in the males, while Potamotrygon sp. had a karyotype with 66 chromosomes, in both sexes. The C-banding revealed the presence of heterochromatic blocks accumulated in the centromeric region of all the chromosomes in both species. The FISH assays with 18S DNA probes highlighted the terminal region of three or four chromosome pairs in P. motoro and seven chromosomes in Potamotrygon sp. The rDNA 5S sequences were found in only one chromosomal pair in both species. The interspecific genetic distance based on the COI sequences, between P. motoro and Potamotrygon sp. from Amazon River was 10.8%, while that between the Amazonian P. motoro and Potamotrygon amandae from the Paraná River was 2.2%, and the genetic distance between Potamotrygon sp. and P. amandae was 11.8%. In addition to the new insights on the cytogenetics of the study species, the results of the present study confirmed the existence of heteromorphic sex-linked chromosomes in P. motoro.

RESUMO Trichomycterus é um especioso gênero dentro de Trichomycterinae e exibe marcante diversidade cariotípica. No entanto, o conhecimento sobre sua estrutura genômica e localização de seqüências repetitivas ainda é restrita. Para um melhor conhecimento sobre a sua diversificação cariotípica, nós analisamos nove especies de Trichomycterus usando técnicas de citogenética clássica e molecular. Os resultados revelaram um conservado número diploide de 2n = 54 cromossomos em todas as espécies analisadas, embora diferentes marcações na distribuição da heterocromatina constitutiva tenham sido observadas. Além disso, enquanto o DNAr 18S mostrou um padrão de distribuição conservado, os sítios de DNAr 5S mostraram uma localização bastante diversa, considerando as espécies analisadas. Ambos os genes ribossomais foram co-localizados em todas as espécies, exceto em T. iheringi , sugerindo que a co-localização é provavelmente uma condição ancestral em Trichomycterus . Finalmente, três espécies analisadas mostraram cromossomos B heterocromáticos, reforçando uma intensa reoganização genômica ocorrendo em Trichomycterus . Nossos resultados mostraram que variações cromossômicas não estão restritas à diferenças na fórmula cariotípica, como proposto anteriormente, mas também às alterações a níveis de resolução estrutural.

Trichomycterus is a specious fish genus within Trichomycterinae and displays remarkable karyotype diversity. However, knowledge about their genomic structure and location of repetitive sequence is still limited. In order to better understand the karyotype diversification, we analyzed nine species of Trichomycterus using classical and molecular cytogenetic techniques. Results revealed a conserved diploid chromosome number of 2n=54 chromosomes in all analyzed species, although remarkable differences on the constitutive heterochromatin distribution were observed. In addition, while the 18S rDNA showed a conserved distribution pattern, the 5S rDNA sites showed a quite diverse location considering the analyzed species. Remarkably, both ribosomal genes were co-located in all species, except in T . iheringi , suggesting that co-localization is probably an ancestral condition in Trichomycterus . Finally, three analyzed species showed heterochromatic B chromosomes, reinforcing the intense genomic reorganization occurring in Trichomycterus . Our results showed that chromosomal variations are not restricted to differences in karyotype formula as previously proposed, but also to modifications on the microstructural level of resolution.

The fish species Synbranchus marmoratus is widely distributed throughout the Neotropical region and exhibits a significant karyotype differentiation. However, data concerning the organization and location of the repetitive DNA sequences in the genomes of these karyomorphs are still lacking. In this study we made a physical mapping of the H3 and H4 histone multigene family and the transposable elements Rex1 and Rex3 in the genome of three known S. marmoratus karyomorphs. The results indicated that both histone sequences seem to be linked with one another and are scattered all over the chromosomes of the complement, with a little compartmentalization in one acrocentric pair, which is different from observations in other fish groups. Likewise, the transposable elements Rex1 and Rex3 were also dispersed throughout the genome as small clusters. The data also showed that the histone sites are organized in a differentiated manner in the genomes of S. marmoratus, while the transposable elements Rex1 and Rex3 do not seem to be compartmentalized in this group.

Basic and molecular cytogenetic analyses were performed in specimens of Characidium cf. zebra from five collection sites located throughout the Tietê, Paranapanema and Paraguay river basins. The diploid number in specimens from all samples was 2n = 50 with a karyotype composed of 32 metacentric and 18 submetacentric chromosomes in both males and females. Constitutive heterochromatin was present at the centromeric regions of all chromosomes and pair 23, had additional interstitial heterochromatic blocks on its long arms. The nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were located on the long arms of pair 23, while the 5S rDNA sites were detected in different chromosomes among the studied samples. One specimen from the Alambari river was a natural triploid and had two extra chromosomes, resulting in 2n = 77. The remarkable karyotypic similarity among the specimens of C. cf. zebra suggests a close evolutionary relationship. On the other hand, the distinct patterns of 5S rDNA distribution may be the result of gene flow constraints during their evolutionary history.