Caecilians of Western Ghats in India- A cytogenetic perspective

This book deals with chromosomal analysis of caecilian species, twenty four of them found in the Western Ghats of India and one in the Taita Hills of Kenya of Africa. The mitotic and meiotic chromosomes and their karyotypes, C- banding and NOR- studies; dentition, and sperm morphology are described. Phylogenetic tree for the caecilians is constructed from this data. The dominant role played by the structural chromosomal rearrangements like pericentric and paracentric inversions, Robertsonian translocations, and tandem fusions in the evolution of caecilian species from 2n = 44 to 22 is delineated. In addition, this book provides detailed step by step protocols employed in preparing the chromosomes, analysing their linear differentiation using banding techniques, and establishing interspecies and intergeneric relationships from the evolutionary point of view.