A new karyotypic formula for the genus Amphisbaena (Squamata; Amphisbaenidae)

Abstract

To contribute to the knowledge of chromosome evolution in Amphisbaena, we describe the karyotype constitution and the NOR location of Amphisbaena bolivica Mertens, 1929. This species has a distinctive karyotype 2n = 44 (0,24,20) among its congeners because all the macrochromosomes are telocentric. The Ag-NORs are located in the telomeric region of a medium-sized macrochromosome pair. The analyses by silver staining in six species of Amphisbaena revealed that the Ag-NORs vary in number and location and suggest that may be a valuable cytogenetic marker in Amphisbaena species.