Litoria spenceri (Spencer, 1901)

Mollard, Richard, Mahony, Michael, Marantelli, Gerry & West, Matt, 2018, The critically endangered species Litoria spenceri demonstrates subpopulation karyotype diversity, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 166) 12 (2), pp. 28-36 : 31

Litoria spenceri , Central Site: captive bred juvenile specimens

Two unsexed juvenile frogs were studied from the Central Site. For one frog, 30 of 35 spreads counted were 2n = 26 and 17 of 24 in the other. For one frog, five karyotypes were prepared and for the other, four karyotypes were prepared ( Figs. 6 and 7 ; data not shown). Chromosomal configurations differed slightly compared to those from animals originating from both the Southern and Northern sites, with DAPI negative regions being evident on the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 11 for both animals in all karyotypes ( Figs. 4 , 6 , 7 , and data not shown; Table 1). Chromosome 11 here also differed and was submetacentric and not metacentric.

Figures

Fig. 6. Karyotype from a Central Site L. spenceri unsexed juvenile, animal 1. A representative karyotype demonstrates the L. spenceri 2n = 26 karyotype and DAPI negative areas in the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 11.

Fig. 7. Karyotype from a Central Site L. spenceri unsexed juvenile, animal 2. A representative karyotype demonstrates the L. spenceri 2n = 26 karyotype and DAPI negative areas in the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 11.

Fig. 4. Chromosomes 9 and 11 from different L. spenceri populations. Three representative chromosomes from each animal demonstrate a highly conserved DAPI negative region in the long arms of chromosome 9. A DAPI negative region is observed in the long arm of chromosome 11, but only in the Central Site juveniles and in only one matched chromosome of the Northern Site x Central Site tadpole hybrid.Arrows indicate the chromosome 11 DAPI negative region.Asterisks indicate the paired submetacentric chromosome 11 matched pair of the Northern Site x Central Site tadpole hybrid.