Morphology, Behaviour and Metrical Studies of the Germinal Chromosomes of Ten Species of Membracidae (Homoptera)

Abstract

About 40 species of membracids have been cytologically studied so far by other workers (vide infra) to which the chromosome number of ten species has been added by us (Bhattacharya and Manna 1967). Besides these ten species, only eight were reported from India (Banerjee 1958, Menon 1958, Rao 1956and Sharma et al. 1964). The present study deals with the morphology of gonial meta phase chromosomes of both sexes, the behaviour and measurement of spermatocyte chromosomes and the cytotaxonomical evaluation of the family. Nine out of the ten species have been cytologically investigated for the first time. Further, no species belonging to Cocosterphus and Tricentrus was studied previously. Material and methodsSeveral adult male and female individuals of ten species were collected locally from different host plants (Table 1) and their testes and ovaries were fixed in acetic alcohol for squash preparations. Testes of some individuals were also fixed in Sanfelice for sectioning. Iron-alum haematoxylin and Fuelgen stain were used for the testes while the oogonial complements were studied from temporary acetic carmine preparations. A metrical study of first spermatocyte metaphase chro mosomes was done following the method described elsewhere (Bhattacharya and Manna 1970 andManna 1951). ObservationsThe pattern of male meiosis was more or less the same in different species, but they differed to some extent when the morphology and the behaviour of gonial and meiotic chromosomes were critically analysed. For this reason some accounts of them has been presented one by one.Oxyrachis tarandus had 22 chromosomes in the oogonial (Fig. 1) and 21 in the spermatogonial metaphase complements (Fig. 2). Chromosomes were gradually seriated bean shaped structures and inter-connected, likepenta tomid bugs in both types of gonial complements. The difference of one chromosome suggested XX: XO sex mechanism but X chromosome was not demarcable by its size or staining

Chromosomes of Five Species of Spittle Bugs(Homoptera, Cercopidae).

“…Among them, only one species of Machaerotinae, Machaerota assamensis revealed 2n=25, XO (Bhattacharya and Manna 1967) while two species of Cercopinae, C. metallica and C. decisa, exhibited 2n=27, XO (Chatterjee and Das 1977). In the present investigation we have studied the chromosomes of five species of Cosmoscarta each of them showing 2n= 28.…”

“…The chromosome data are quite extensive in Aphrophorinae in comparison to the other two subfamilies. The diploid count ranges from 15-31 with XO and XY sex chromosome sys tems (Whitten 1965, Halkka 1959, Banerjee 1958, Sharma et al 1964, Halkka and Heinonen 1959, Bhattacharya and Manna 1967. Though the diploid count of 2n-30, XY is prevalent, more data are required to establish the modal number of this subfamily.…”

An analysis of the chromosomes of leaf-hoppers (Cicadellidae, Homoptera)

“…The gonial numbers were determined from 50 cells of different individuals of a species. For metrical study, the method of Bhattacharya & Manna (1970) was followed. Meiosis was studied in males only.…”

“…From this point of view cytogenetic study ofjassids (Cicadellidae) is of significance especially because of their holocentric chromosomes. We have dealt with aspects of the cytology of the endemic Indian Cicadelloidea, Cercopoidea, Fulgoroidea and PsyUoidea in a series of papers (Bhattacharya, 1972a,' b;1973a, b, c, d, e;1975, 1976Bhattacharya & Manna, 1970, 1973a, b and Manna & Bhattacharya, 1973 in an attempt to understand the phylogeny of the group and the evolution of the 'unique' cytogenetic systems discovered in coccids and aphids (Brown, 1965).…”

Meiosis in two Species ofParabolocratuswith Polymorphic Sex Chromosomes in Males ofP. Albomaculatus(Homoptera)

“…About 178 species of Cicadellidae have so far been cytologically investigated by various authors (BHATTACHARYA and MANNA 1967;HALKKA 1959;MAKINO 1956;SHARMA et al 1964;WHITTEN 1965). Not only in this family but also in the whole of Auchenorrhyncha the sex chromosome constitution in male has been found overwhelmingly to be XO and rarely XY type.…”