KARYOTYPES OF 2 ENDEMIC SPECIES OF HARE FROM ETHIOPIA, LEPUS-HABESSINICUS AND LEPUS-STARCKI (LAGOMORPHA, LEPORIDAE) - A COMPARISON WITH LEPUS-EUROPAEUS

Karyotypes of two endemic species of hare from Ethiopia, Lepus habessi nicus and L. starcki were studied and compared to that of L. europaeus . L. starcki has a fragmented range in the high Ethiopian plateaus and is considered a relict form of L. europaeus. In contrast, L. habessin icus occurs at lower altitudes, and is an arid-country species, The sp ecies share a 2n=48 and a FNa=88 common to all representatives of the genus. No sign of karyotypic differentiation is evident from G-banding and Ag-NOR location, These data support the hypothesis of pronounced karyotypic conservativism in the genus Lepus.