Banded karyotypes of Allactaga williamsi from Central Anatolia

A chromosomal study of 2 populations of Allactaga williamsi from Konya province in Central Anatolia, Turkey, was performed. The diploid number of 48 chromosomes was found in all of the 5 specimens examined. All of the chromosomes except the Y were biarmed and could be identified by unique G-banding patterns. The C-banding analysis revealed a considerable amount of constitutive heterochromatin in all chromosomes. The C-band positive regions were distributed mainly in centromeric areas, whereas the Y chromosome stained uniformly and C-negatively. The active NORs were localized in 2 pairs of small metacentric and submetacentric autosomes. The species of the genus Allactaga are apparently conservative in their karyotypic structure.