Chromosomes of Belonocnematreatae Mayr, 1881 (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae)

Comp Cytogenet. 2015 May 26;9(2):221-6. doi: 10.3897/CompCytogen.v9i2.6534. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Chromosomes of the asexual and sexual generation of the gall wasp Belonocnematreatae Mayr, 1881 (Cynipidae) were analyzed. Females of both generations have 2n = 20, whereas males of the sexual generation have n = 10. Cyclical deuterotoky is therefore confirmed in this species. All chromosomes are acrocentric and form a continuous gradation in size. This karyotype structure is probably ancestral for many gall wasps and perhaps for the family Cynipidae in general. Chromosome no. 7 carries a characteristic achromatic gap that appears to represent a nucleolus organizing region.

Keywords: Belonocnematreatae; Cynipidae; Hymenoptera; chromosomes; gall wasps; karyotype.