December 1993

Asiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 5, pp. 137-142

A Karyosystematic Study of the Genus Bombina from China(Amphibia:Discoglossidae)

WAN-ZHAO LIU AND DA-TONG YANG
Department of Vertebrate Zoology. Kunming Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica,Kunming. Yunnan. China-Chromosome number, morphology and positions of Ag-NORs were determined for four
Chinese species of Bombina. Chromosome numbers are: B. orientalis (2n=24, NF=48), B. maxima(2n=28, NF=56), B. microdeladigitora (2n=28, NF=56). The Ag-NORs of B. orientalis are located on thelong arm of the 7th chromosome pair, where as those of the latter three are on the short arm of the 1 1thpair. The subdivision of Bombina into two subgenera is supported by the karyology. A close relation
between Bombina and Discoglossus is suggested.

Abstract.

Key words: Anura, Discoglossidae, Bombina; karyotypes, Ag-NORs, China.

TABLE 1. Species, localities, and number of individuals used in this karyological study.
Species

Locality

B. (G.) fortinuptialis

Jinxiu, Guangxi(G) maxima
B. (G) microdeladigitora

Dayao, Yunnan
Jingdon, Yunnan

B. (B.) orientalis

Qindao, ShandongB.

No. of Individuals
5 malesVol. 5 p. 138

TABLE 2.

Asiatic Herpetological Research

December 1993

Observational results of the diploid chromosome number of four species of Bombina fromChina.
Species

December 1993

Asiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 5 p. 139

TABLE 3. Measurements of metapha.se chromosomes of four Chinese species of Bombina Mean ± SE
B. fortinuptialis

GroupB.

maximaAsiatic Herpetological ResearchVol. 5 p. 140

i;

iiir

isii

ii/iwam\1\1

A* »K •* ** M **10 nIIS** *II IIII%«**II

December 1993*'^V?

Asiatic Herpetological Research

December 1993

Vol. 5 p. 141

TABLE 4. Comparison of karyotypes and Ag-NORs in Bombina.

NF Chromosome

SpeciesSecondary

Locality offormula

centremere

A-NORsData

B. (G.) fort in uptialis

28

56

22m+6sm

No. 11

No. 11

Present study

B. (G.) maxima

28

56

22m+6sm

No. 11

No. 11

Present study

B. (G. ) microdeladigitora

28

56

22m+6sm

No. 11

No. 11

Present study

B. (G.) orienlalis

24

48

22m+2sm

Nos. 7,8No. 7

Present study

B. (G. ) bombina2448

unknown

Nos. 7,8

unknown

Morescalchi 1973

B. (G.) variegata

2448

unknown

Nos. 7,8

unknown

Morescalchi 1973

thisplace of the secondary constriction in somecases.
The mechanisms of karyotype
evolution of Bombina may take placemaxima, microdeladigitora andthrough unequal translocation. This is still
an open question. A further chromosome

karyologicalevidence

supportsubdivision.
In B.

fortirtuptialis, the karyotypes are practicallyequal to each other which indicates thatthese three species may have diverged
In the group consisting of B.
recently.
bombina, variegata and orientalis, bombina
and variegata are equal to one another(Morescalchi, 1973), but orientalis has
some differences from them. The 8th and12th pairs are m in orientalis, but st inbombina and variegata. Thus the two
European species are more closely related,which is congruent with immunologicalevidence of Maxon (1979) and Maxson andSzymura(1984).
Morescalchi

etal.

(1977) could not

resolve relationships within Discoglossidae
because the karyotypes of Discoglossus,
Alytes and Bombina are so different fromeach other. Our investigation indicated thatDiscoglossus and the Glandnla-group of
Bombina have the same
diploid
chromosome number (Lanza et al., 1975;1976). We suggest that those two genera

may be related. The secondary constrictionis the only"marker" currently available foranalysis in most anuran karyosystematics
studies. However, in the present study, wefoundsecondary constriction isandtheposition of it is quite
abruptThe Ag-NORs are stable andvariable.
clear and may be a more useful tool than thethat thebanding study is necessary.

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