Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1985 Karyology of Lower Teleost Fishes (Clupeiformes, Taxonomy, Elopiformes, Phylogeny). Albert John Doucette Jr Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Doucette, Albert John Jr, "Karyology of Lower Teleost Fishes (Clupeiformes, Taxonomy, Elopiformes, Phylogeny)." (1985). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 4048. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/4048 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 8517731 Doucette, Albert John, Jr. KARYOLOGY OF LOWER TELEOST FISHES The Louisiana Slate University and Agricultural and Mechanical Col.Ph.D. 1985 University Microfilms International300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Copyright 1985 by Doucette, Albert John, Jr. All Rights Reserved PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages_____ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or______ print 3. Photographs with dark background_____ 4. Illustrations are poor copy _ _ _ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy______ 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides_______ of p a g e 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several ^pages 8. Print exceeds margin requirements______ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost _______in spine 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct______ print 11. Page(s)____________lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s)____________seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages num bered . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pag______ es 15. Dissertation contains pages with print at a slant, filmed as received_________ 16. Other_________ __________________________________ University Microfilms International KARYOLOGY OF LOWER TELEOST FISHES A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Zoology and Physiology by Albert John Doucette, Jr. B.S., Southern University, 1971 M.S., Louisiana State University, 1973 May 1985 © 1985 ALBERT JOHN DOUCETTE, JR. All Rights Reserved DEDICATION To my parents, Albert J. Doucette, Sr. and the late Albertine Atlow Doucette, for instilling in me the desire to learn and an appreciation for an education and to my sisters, Margaret Doucette Davis and Alice Doucette Twillie for their encouragement and support through the years. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks are due my major professor, Dr. J. Michael Fitzsimons, for his encouragement and assistance during my studies at Louisiana State University. Also, I would like to thank the other members of my doctoral committee, Dr. Kenneth C. Corkum, Dr. Dudley D. Culley, Jr., Dr. John W. Fleeger, Dr. Walter J. Harman, and Dr. William G. Henk for reading and commenting on this dissertation. I thank the following people for helping collect the specimens used in this research: G. Tommy Chandler, Wilton DeLaune, J. Michael Fitzsimons, William F. Font, Brian Hanks, Jeffrey W. Korth, LuAnn T. Korth, William H. LeGrande, Carol L. Lear, Lorraine Madsen, R. Jan F. Smith, Carol S. Stevens and Jonathan G. Stevens. For assistance on many collecting trips and for hours of scientific discussions in and out of academic settings, I thank Jeffrey Korth. Many thanks go to Dr. William H. LeGrande for in­ struction and assistance in photographic and computer work and also for many discussions on karyology. A portion of the analytical section of this research was supported by NSF Grant No. PRM-8206665 to Dr. LeGrande. I wish to thank all my friends for encouragement and support during this project and Carol Stevens for typing this dissertation. This study would not have been possible without the support from the Board of Regents Graduate Fellowship Program. In this regard, I would like to offer special thanks to Dr. William Arceneaux, Commissioner of Higher Education, and Ms. Sharon Beard, Deputy Commissioner. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................ iii TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................ V LIST OF T A B L E S ........................................... vi LIST OF F I G U R E S ........................................... vii ABSTRACT .................................................. viii INTRODUCTION ............................................. 1 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................... 5 Procedures ........................................... 5 Basis for comparing karyotypic differences . 20 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION..... ............................... 25 Species accounts...... ............................... 25 Potential use of karyology in the taxonomy of elopiform and clupeiform fishes .... 33 Evolution of chromosomes in elopiform and clupeiform fishes ............................ 37 Karyology and the phylogeny of teleost fishes. 38 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ...................................... 45 LITERATURE CITED ........................................ 46 VITA ....................................................... 53 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Summary of karyotypic data for Megalops atlanticus, Elops saurus, Brevoortia patronus, B . smithi, B. tyrannus, B. smi thi x EU tyrannus, Dorosoma cepedianum, D. petenense, Harengula clupeola and Anchoa mitchilli .......... 29 2. Chromosome numbers in elopiform and clupeiform fishes .................................... 35 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Chromosomal rearrangements in fishes.............. 21 2. Karyotypes of Megalops atlanticus and El ops saurus ..................................... 26 3. Karyotypes of Brevoortia patronus, B. smithi, B» tyrannus and B^ smithi x B^ tyrannus .... 27 4. Karyotypes of Dorosoma cepedianum, D. petenense, Harengula clupeola and Anchoa mitchilli ................................. 28 vii ABSTRACT Karyotypes of nine species (Megalops atlanticus, Elops saurus, Brevoortia patronus, B. smithi, B. tyrannus, Dorosoma cepedianum, D . petenense, Harengula clupeola, and Anchoa mitchi11i) and one hybrid (B^ smithi x B^ tyrannus) of teleost fishes revealed diploid complements ranging from 28 to 50 chromosomes and comprised of uniarmed elements or combinations of uniarmed and small and large biarmed elements. The occurrence of large metacentric-submeta- centric chromosomes was usually associated with a reduction in total chromosome number suggesting fusion events in the evolution of karyotypes from ancestral complements with 48 to 52 acrocentrics. Information from karyotypes is used to characterize species, genera, and families and, where possible, these data are used in combination with published reports to reinterpret previously proposed phylogenetic classifications. viii INTRODUCTION Karyology is the study of chromosome number and morphology and is used to assess intra- and interspecific relationships of animals and plants.