Cribiu E.P., Asmodé J.F., Durand V., Greth A., & Anagariyah S. 1989. The G- and C- banding karyotype of the Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx). Annales de Génétique 32: 200-203.

Summary: The chromosomes of the Arabian oryx Oryx leucoryx were investigated using GTG and GBG banding techniques. Oryx banding patterns were compared to those of goat and cattle. The diploid number of this species is 58 of which one pair is large and submetacentric. Twenty-seven pairs are acrocentric; the X is the largest acrocentric with a minute but prominent short arm; and the Y is acrocentric. All autosome arms are identical to chromosomes of the goat, with the exception of an extremely large, negatively stained region at the centromeres. The oryx and the goat sex chromosomes differ in the form and length of the Y chromosome. The banding patterns of the X chromosomes are identical, apart from the variable size of their negatively stained centromeric regions. The conservation of the chromosome banding pattern and the constancy of the number of chromosome arms indicates that karyotype evolution in this group of species has occurred by Robertsonian translocation. This karyotypic differentiation among closely related species is believed to be an important mechanism of speciation by reducing gene flow between karyotypically divergent populations.

#1-1989-001