Studies on the Chromosomes of Some Indian Crustacea

Abstract

1. The structure and behaviour of mitotic and meiotic chromosomes in ten species of Indian Decapod Crustaceans (belonging to 6 different families) have been investigated.
2. The Indian Scylla serrata is genetically a different species from the Japanese Scylla serrata-the diploid number in the latter is higher by as many as 12 chromosomes than that of the former.
3. In the Macruran, Palaemon lamarrei, and in nine other Brachyurans the sex chromosomes are cytologically indistinguishable.
4. The pathways of chromosomal evolution in related groups of Decapod Crustacea have been discussed.