KARYOTYPE OF ACOMYS-CILICICUS SPITZENBERGER, 1978 (RODENTIA, MURIDAE)

A first description of the karyotype of Acomys cilicicus from a site i n close proximity to the type locality is presented. The diploid numbe r was found to equal 36. The karyotype consists of 16 pairs of meta-/s ubmetacentric and one pair of acrocentric autosomes (NFa=66). The X ch romosome is large and subtelocentric whereas the Y is the smallest ele ment in the set and acrocentric. C-banding revealed that the short arm of the X is wholly heterochromatic and is likely to have resulted fro m amplification of a centrometic heterochromatin segment. Karyosystema tic relations of A. cilicicus to other members of the cahirinus-dimidi atus group are discussed.