Karyotypic composition of bats from the Brazilian nuclear power plant, state of Rio de Janeiro

ABSTRACT

Chromosomes have been a useful tool to address systematical issues of Neotropical bats and can be applied to evaluate certain degrees of radiation exposure, but some basic cytogenetical data is needed in this case. Nothing is known about cytogenetics of bats from the zone of influence of nuclear power plants around the world. In this study we present the karyotypic composition of the first bat sample collected in the surroundings of the only Brazilian nuclear complex, which is located in a very important remnant of Atlantic Forest in southwestern Rio de Janeiro. The following diploid numbers and fundamental numbers of autosomal arms were found Artibeus lituratus; 31, 56, Artibeus obscurus; 31, 56, Carollia perspicillata; 21, 36, Platyrrhinus lineatus; 30, 56, Sturnira lilium; 30, 56, Eptesicus brasiliensis; 50, 48. Silver stained nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs) are located in short arm telomers of submetacentric or subtelocentric autosomes in all cases, excluding C. perspicillata, which showed Ag-NORs in the X chromosome. Constitutive heterochromatin in all species except E. brasiliensis is mostly pericentromeric, but telomeric and interstitial bands are also found, as well as completely heterochromatic sex chromosomes. New C-banding patterns were detected for the two species of Artibeus improving the known karyotipical variability in these species. This data is a first