The first cytogenetic data on Strumigenys louisianae Roger, 1863 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Dacetini): the lowest chromosome number in the Hymenoptera of the neotropical region

Ana Paula Alves-Silva; Luísa Antônia Campos Barros; Júlio Cézar Mário Chaul; Silvia das Graças Pompolo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111706

The first cytogenetic data on Strumigenys louisianae Roger, 1863 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Dacetini): the lowest chromosome number in the Hymenoptera of the neotropical region

PLoS One. 2014 Nov 7;9(11):e111706. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111706. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Ana Paula Alves-Silva¹, Luísa Antônia Campos Barros¹, Júlio Cézar Mário Chaul², Silvia das Graças Pompolo³

Affiliations

¹ Laboratório de Citogenética de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral. Universidade Federal de Viçosa; Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Genética e Melhoramento. Universidade Federal de Viçosa; Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
² Departamento de Biologia Geral. Universidade Federal de Viçosa; Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
³ Laboratório de Citogenética de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral. Universidade Federal de Viçosa; Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Abstract

In the present study, the first cytogenetic data was obtained for the ant species Strumigenys louisianae, from a genus possessing no previous cytogenetic data for the Neotropical region. The chromosome number observed was 2n = 4, all possessing metacentric morphology. Blocks rich in GC base pairs were observed in the interstitial region of the short arm of the largest chromosome pair, which may indicate that this region corresponds to the NORs. The referred species presented the lowest chromosome number observed for the subfamily Myrmicinae and for the Hymenoptera found in the Neotropical region. Observation of a low chromosome number karyotype has been described in Myrmecia croslandi, in which the occurrence of tandem fusions accounts for the most probable rearrangement for its formation. The accumulation of cytogenetic data may carry crucial information to ensure deeper understanding of the systematics of the tribe Dacetini.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Ants / cytology*
Ants / genetics*
Chromosomes, Insect / genetics*
Cytogenetic Analysis*
Ecological and Environmental Phenomena*
Karyotype
Metaphase

Grants and funding

The authors wish to thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa (CNPq) for the grants provided to APAS and LACB, respectively. This study was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa da Bahia (FAPESB – RED0012/2012). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.