AUTHOR=Cardoso Adauto L. , Pieczarka Julio C. , Crampton William G. R. , Ready Jonathan S. , de Figueiredo Ready Wilsea M. B. , Waddell Joseph C. , de Oliveira Jonas A. , Nagamachi Cleusa Y. 

TITLE=Karyotypic Diversity and Evolution in a Sympatric Assemblage of Neotropical Electric Knifefish

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2018.00081

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2018.00081

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=<p>Chromosome changes can perform an important role in speciation by acting as post-zygotic reproductive barriers. The Neotropical electric fish genus <italic>Brachyhypopomus</italic> (Gymnotiformes, Hypopomidae) has 28 described species, but cytogenetic data are hitherto available only for four of them. To understand karyotype evolution and investigate the possible role of chromosome changes in the diversification of this genus, we describe here the karyotype of eight species of <italic>Brachyhypopomus</italic> from a sympatric assemblage in the central Amazon basin. We analyzed cytogenetic data in the context of a phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus and known patterns of geographical distribution. We found a strong phylogenetic signal for chromosome number and noted that sympatric species have exclusive karyotypes. Additional insights into the role of chromosome changes in the diversification of <italic>Brachyhypopomus</italic> are discussed.</p>