Open AccessCharacterization of sex chromosomes in three deeply diverged species of Pseudocrenilabrinae (Teleostei: Cichlidae)
Author(s) -
William Gammerdinger,
Matthew Conte,
Benjamin A. Sandkam,
David J. Penman,
Thomas Köcher
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
hydrobiologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1573-5117
pISSN - 0018-8158
DOI - 10.1007/s10750-018-3778-6
Subject(s) - cichlid , biology , teleostei , evolutionary biology , chromosome , genetics , zoology , gene , fishery , fish <actinopterygii>
The African cichlid radiations have created thousands of new cichlid species with a wide diversity of trophic morphologies, behaviors, sensory systems and pigment patterns. In addition, recent research has uncovered a surprising number of young sex chromosome systems within African cichlids. Here we refine methods to describe the differentiation of young sex chromosomes from whole genome comparisons. We identified a novel XY sex chromosome system on linkage group 14 in Oreochromis mossambicus , confirmed a linkage group 1 XY system in Coptodon zillii and also defined the limits of our methodology by examining a ZW system on linkage group 3 in Pelmatolapia mariae . These data further demonstrate that cichlids are an excellent model system for understanding the early stages of sex chromosome evolution.