Meiotic behaviour of chromosomes in three predator species of the subfamily Asopinae (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae)

Abstract

The study of chromosome behaviour has been carried out on males of three species of the Asopinae (Pentatomidae) bugs Andrallus spinidens (Fabricius, 1787), Canthecona furcellata Wolff, 1801 and Perillus bioculatus (Fabricius, 1775) collected in India. All the species have XY sex chromosome system and 12 autosomes (2n=14=12A+XY). The general course of meiosis is fairly uniform and is typical for heteropteran species. However, the species differ in the extent of decondensation of the autosomes during the diffuse stage and the number of ring bivalents at diplotene/diakinesis. Also, a metaphase I arrangement of chromosomes which is different from the typical Pentatomidae type has been observed in C. furcellata and P. bioculatus.