Karyotype and C- and G-banding patterns of Eufriesea violacea (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossinae)

Abstract

Euglossinae represent an exclusively neotropical bee group, the cytogenetics of which is poorly known. We have studied ten specimens of Eufriesea violacea, nine males (K = 15 M̄) and one female (2K = 30 M̄). C-banding revealed constitutive heterochromatin throughout the extension of the long arm of 13 chromosome pairs. The end of the long arm had a lighter region in two chromosome pairs. The proximal region of the centromere of the short arm of all chromosomes was also heterochromatic. G-banding revealed three to four positive bands in both the heterochromatic and euchromatic regions of most chromosomes. The small number of G bands per chromosome can perhaps be explained by the structural arrangement of chromatin and they do not need to correspond to chromomeric regions.