Karyological study of Cicindelidia trifasciata (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) from Cuba: Evidence of B chromosomes

Metaphases from germinal tissue of eight males and seven females of Cicinde lidia trifasciata from Cuba were analyzed. The species karyotype does not f it the pattern described for Nearctic cicindelids (2n = 18 + XXY): it has 1 1 autosome pairs and a sex chromosome system of the X1X2X3Y/ X1X1X2X2X3X3 t ype, thus a diploid value of 2n = 26 in males and 2n = 28 in females. The f irst two autosome pairs were almost twice as large as the remaining chromos omes, and the sex elements were morphologically well differentiated. This p opulation was found to be polymorphic for supernumerary chromosomes at both the intraindividual and interindividual levels. An extra small B chromosom e was observed in all metaphases of one male (2n = 27), and every female sh owed metaphases with one to three small Bs, with a clearly higher frequency of cytotype 2n = 29.