Abstract
Relative DNA values and percent lengths of chromosome arms have been studied for six species of the super-family Dasyuroidea, five species of Phalangeroidea and four species of Perameloidea. By multiplying by relative DNA values all percent lengths have been expressed in the same units. Two species are said to “share” a chromosome if neither of the arms differs at the 5% level of probability. It is argued that if species “share” at least two two-armed chromosomes, this can be taken as evidence of relationship. A “standard dasyurid” karyotype has been defined and individual species of Dasyuridae show only small deviations from it. The nature and significance of the bi-modal distribution of chromosome numbers in marsupials is discussed.
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Martin, P.G., Hayman, D.L. Quantitative comparisons between the karyotypes of Australian marsupials from three different superfamilies. Chromosoma 20, 290–310 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326187
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326187