Abstract
Thirteen species of estrildid finches belonging to the Lonchurae were examined cytogenetically by G- and C-banding. The major forms of karyotypic change, both within and between species, were pericentric inversions and changes in the amount of heterochromatin. It appears that the direction of chromosome change in this lineage is towards an entirely telocentric karyotype because inversions converting a biarmed chromosome into a telocentric one only occur when all the macrochromosomes of smaller size are also telocentric. A comparison of hybrid fertility data and karyotypic differences indicates that genic factors affecting gonadal development, and not chromosomal rearrangements, are the primary influence in determining hybrid fertility. The chromosomal data was also used to clarify systematic relationships within the Lonchurae and demonstrate that the genus Lonchura as presently construed is polyphyletic.
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Christidis, L. Chromosomal evolution within the family Estrildidae (Aves) II. The Lonchurae. Genetica 71, 99–113 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058692
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058692