Karyological analysis of endemic loach Cobitis bilseli Battalgil, 1942 (Cobitidae) in Turkey

Turkey is very rich in terms of spined loaches. The identification of Cobitis species is usually made by morphological and meristic characteristics. It has recently been supported by molecular studies. Although studies on the cytogenetic analysis of European and Asian loaches are sufficient, these studies are not sufficient in Turkey. Banded cytogenetic features of Cobitis biseli specimens in Beysehir were revealed for the first time in this study. Its diploid chromosome number (2n) is 50, and its karyotype consists of 4 pairs of metacentric, 3 pairs of submetacentric, 3 pairs of subtelocentric, and 15 pairs of acrocentric chromosomes (NF= 70). A secondary constriction was observed in the telomeric region of the short arm of the largest metacentric chromosome pair. An active nucleolar organizer region (NOR) by Ag-staining was detected on the same chromosome. Except for one pair, all the chromosomes had a centromeric C-band. It was determined that the cytogenetic characteristics of this species were different from other species studied in Turkey.