KARYOTYPE AND BANDING PATTERN STUDY IN AN INDIAN MICROCHIROPTERA, MEGADERMA LYRA LYRA GEOFFROY

Karyomorphology and the C-, G-banding pattern analyses of chromosomes of the microchiroptera Megaderma lyra lyra Geoflroy were done. The diploid number 54 with the chromosome formulae n = 14m +12sm+Ist/t and NF = 107 for male, n = 14m+12sm + 1st and NF = 108 for female with relative percentage length range from 5:23 ± 0.48 to 2.07 ± 0. 17 for autosomes, 5:08 ± 0.99 for the X and 0.05 ± 0.01 for the Y have been detected. Comparison of the karyotype and the banding patterns of chromosomes with that of the earlier reports on the same species collected from different geographical regions showed a considerable amount of differences in the fine structure of chromosomes, in the amount of heterochromatin and in the distribution pattern of G-bands; which might have occurred due to the variation among the different allopatric populations of the same species. Unlike that of other bats, the presence of very high amount of constitutive heterochromatin with a unique pattern of its distribution have been pointed out. The possible roles of pericentric inversion and addition of extraneous heterochromatin in the evolution of its karyotype and in speciation in the family Megadermatidae have been discussed.

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