Chromosome Banding Patterns and Idiogram of the Armenian Hamster, Cricetulus migratorius

Abstract

The karyotype of the Armenian hamster, Cricetulus migratorius, has been studied using trypsin-Giemsa and fluorescence banding techniques. Chromosome measurements were made on 50 metaphases and the idiogram has been constructed. The diploid number of 22 chromosomes can be identified individually based on their banding patterns, size and centromeric position. Chromosome 1 is the largest and chromosome 10 is the smallest in the complement. The X and Y chromosomes are similar in size with distinct banding patterns.