Constitutive Heterochromatin Distribution in the Chromosomes of Pomacentrid Fishes (Perciformes)

Abstract

The chromosomal distribution of constitutive heterochromatin bands (C-bands) investigated in three pomacentrid fishes was highly diversified among the species from simple to complex patterns. Especially, it is remarkable that one species showed various sized C-band blocks appearing not only in centrometric regions but also in interstitial and telomeric regions, as such C-band distribution is unusual in fish. These results reveal that the chromosomes of pomacentrids have evolved by not only structural changes but also quantitative and positional changes of constitutive heterochromatin.