Chromosomal Homologies and Evolution of Testudinoid Turtles with Emphasis on the Systematic Placement of Platysternon

The karyotype of Platysternon (2n = 54) is compared to members of the Chelydridae, Emydidae and Kinosternidae and is found to be the most similar to the primitive batagurine emydid condition (2n = 52). The batagurine karyotype can be derived from that of Platysternon (or the reverse) by one event wh...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Copeia 1982-02, Vol.1982 (1), p.60-66
Main Authors: Haiduk, Michael W., Bickham, John W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Centromeres
Chromosomes
Diploidy
Evolution
Freshwater
Genera
Karyotype
Phylogeny
Platysternon
Taxa
Turtles
Young animals
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The karyotype of Platysternon (2n = 54) is compared to members of the Chelydridae, Emydidae and Kinosternidae and is found to be the most similar to the primitive batagurine emydid condition (2n = 52). The batagurine karyotype can be derived from that of Platysternon (or the reverse) by one event whereas several are required to derive Platysternon from either Chelydra or Macroclemys. Moreover, derived chromosomal characters are shared between Platysternon and emydids. It is proposed that the Platysternidae (Gray) may be valid, including only Platysternon. Chromosomal data are also used to develop a phylogeny of the Testudinoidea in which the Chelydridae is found to be an early offshoot of the emydid-testudinid line and the Platysternidae is derived from a later form ancestral to the Emydidae and Testudinidae.
ISSN:0045-8511
1938-5110
DOI:10.2307/1444268