1. ¹Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
2. ²Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630091 Novosibirsk, Russia
3. ³Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
4. ⁴Department of Experimental Zoology, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-016 Kraków, Poland

Correspondence: JPM Camacho, Departamento de Genética, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain. E-mail: jpmcamac@ugr.es

Received 31 July 2002; Accepted 29 January 2003.

Abstract

The chromosomal localization of ribosomal DNA, and a 180 bp satellite DNA isolated from Spanish Eyprepocnemis plorans specimens, has been analysed in five Eyprepocnemidinae species collected in Russia and Central Asia. Caucasian E. plorans individuals carried each of the two DNAs, but the rDNA was limited to only two chromosomes (S₉ and S₁₁) in sharp contrast to Spanish specimens that show 4–8 rDNA clusters and to Moroccan specimens which carry rDNA in almost all chromosomes. The four remaining species, however, lacked the 180 bp tandem repeat, and showed rDNA clusters in one (S₉ in Thisoicetrinus pterostichus), two (S₉ and S₁₀ in Eyprepocnemis unicolor; M₈ and S₁₁ in Heteracris adspersa), or three (S₉, S₁₀, and S₁₁ in Shirakiacris shirakii) chromosome pairs. The implications of these findings for the evolution of these two chromosome markers in this group of species are discussed.