A KARYOTYPIC ANALYSIS OF THE LESSER MALAY CHEVROTAIN, TRAGULUS-JAVANICUS (ARTIODACTYLA, TRAGULIDAE)

Chevrotains are small forest-dwelling ruminants of the family Tragulid ae. The chromosome number of the lesser Malay chevrotain was determine d to be 2n = 32, NF = 64. G- and Q-banding allowed the identification of homologous chromosomes, and C-banding demonstrated the presence of pericentromeric, telomeric and interstitial constitutive heterochromat in. Q-band comparisons with domestic cattle revealed relatively few mo nobrachial chromosome band homologies. However, the smallest biarmed a utosome of the chevrotain, chromosome 15, was determined to be cytogen etically homologus with the acrocentric chromosome 19 of cattle. A mol ecular cytogenetic analysis confirmed this putative chromosomal homolo gy. In fact, molecular cytogenetic analyses indicate complete conserva tion of synteny among mouse deer chromosome 15, domestic cattle chromo some 19, domestic pig chromosome 12 and human chromosome 17. In the li ght of these molecular cytogenetic data and since mouse deer chromosom e 15 is submetacentric and appears homologous in banding to submetacen tric chromosome 12 of the domestic pig, these outgroup comparisons ind icate that the acrocentric condition of cattle chromosome 19 has been derived by inversion. Since this derivative condition is present in th e Antilocapridae, Bovidae, Cervidae and Giraffidae, it is a chromosoma l synapomorphy that unites these advance ruminant families within the Artiodactyla.