Karyotype variability in six Amazonian species of the family Curimatidae (Characiformes) revealed by repetitive sequence mapping

Abstract Fishes of the Curimatidae family represent one of the most important freshwater ichthyofauna groups of Central and South America, with 117 recognized species distributed in eight genera. In this study, six species - Curimata inornata, Curimatella dorsalis, and Psectrogaster falcata collected from the Lower Araguaia River, Pará, Brazil; Curimata vittata, Curimatella meyeri, and Psectrogaster rutiloides collected from the Catalão Lake, Amazonas, Brazil - were cytogenetically analyzed, investigate the occurrence and distribution of repetitive DNA classes in the karyotypes. All species had 2n=54 metacentric/submetacentric chromosomes. Despite the conservative diploid number, we observed variations in the karyotypic structure among species. Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) 18S and 5S were found in single or multiple sites, with the first report of synteny in Curimatella dorsalis, and the occurrence of several interstitial telomeric sequences (ITSs) in species of the genera Curimatella and Psectrogaster. Interspecific karyotypic diversity both concerning structure and location/position of the nucleolar organizer regions (NOR) and ribosomal DNA, suggesting the occurrence of several non-Robertsonian rearrangements driving the evolution of this family.