Chromosome Numbers in Chamaeleonidae?

Lingling

New Member
Any biologists or hardcore breeders out there who could tell me what the chromosome numbers for the four genera (furcifer, calumma, chamaeleo, and bradypodion) of chameleons are? Also, what is the sex system in chams?
 
I beleive chameleo has 22 diploid chromosomes The number of chromosomes in the sex cells is half the diploid number; it is called the haploid chromosome number.
I dont know specifics per others.
I may be wrong. What do you mean by sex system? Do you mean vaparity (livebirth) or ovivaparity (eggs) ?

Sex determination in adult chameleons is not a difficult matter for most chameleon species, because they most often are sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females are different in form or size. For example, in the majority of species where males have horns, females lack horns. Males are usually larger than females, except in the genera Brookesia and Rhampholeon. Species that are not sexually dimorphic may be different in coloration, or sexually dichromatic, such as Furcifer pardalis. Females of this species are typically a reddish orange or tan marked with brown or black, regardless of geographic locale. Determining the sex of species in the genera Brookesia and Rhampholeon depends primarily on the presence of a bulge at the base of the tail created by paired sexual organs called hemipenes. It is much more difficult to ascertain the sex of juveniles of most species from birth to about six months of age, or whenever the first indication of adult coloration, horns, crests, or a hemipenial bulge becomes apparent.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3406700444/chameleons-chamaeleonidae.html
 
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Reptile sex chromosomes

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-temperature-sex-determination-reptiles

Effects of temperature on embryonic development of the veiled chameleon,

http://www.chameleonnews.com/08FebLong.html

http://www.biol.vt.edu/faculty/andrews/Embryology07.pdf

Here you go, its been asked. :)

https://www.chameleonforums.com/chameleon-genetics-23567/

I did find this..

Jacksons Chameleon:

possesses 24 chromosomes, 4 of which are microchromosomes (Gorman, 1973). There is no sex chromosomal heteromorphism.

http://placentation.ucsd.edu/chameleon.htm
 
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with respect to the XX/XY or ZZ/ZW in chameleons (XX/XO never been found sofar in chameleons as far as i know)

From wikipedia: The ZW sex-determination system is a system that determines the sex of offspring in birds, some fish and crustaceans such as the giant river prawn, some insects (including butterflies and moths), and some reptiles, including Komodo dragons. In the ZW system it is the ovum that determines the sex of the offspring.

For chameleons i could never find it, but i was thinking something myself. which is just something i thought.

For Furcifer Pardalis it is known from mixed localities, we see the mixed coloration clearly back in the males from either side. Females stay always to make it easy "orange". Since females are always orange, colouration must be connected to the sex.

Lets first assume they would have the XX/XY system.
If the colour on the Y would be dominant, mixed offspring males would have the colour of the male, which is not the case.
Since colouration in males always is mixed with mixed localities, there aint a dominant part. If it would be recessive on the X, wouldn't then females be mixed?

Since we know somehow the orange colouration is dominant in females, but these females do carry the genes for male coloration.
Shouldn't then this dominant gene for orange coloration be on the W and the recessive for male coloration be on the Z.
If they inherit the W and become female they always carry the dominant orange gene and be female, if they inherit ZZ, they carry from either side the recessive and become mixed.

Also in birds i can think of a few species, in which females are more "brown" coloured and the males much more brightly. Which i can't think of in mammals which are in the XX/XY system.

It's just something i thought, anyone who can put a stick in between?
 
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