ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the chromosomal differentiation in bitterlings on the basis of data from cytogenetic studies by silver and chromomycin A3 staining and C-banding. Bitterlings include more than 40 species and subspecies widely distributed in Eurasia, particularly East Asia. A characteristic feature of the reproductive behavior exhibited by bitterlings is the development of an ovipositor in the females of most species at the onset of the spawning condition. Several conventional Giemsa-stained karyotype studies have been undertaken in bitterlings in Japan. The relationship between the age of the eggs and chromosomal aberrations in bitterlings was demonstrated through an analysis of the chromosomes from embryos using eggs that had been stored either in fresh water or a preservative prior to fertilization. Moreover, the propagation of bitterlings is closely related to agricultural activities, and they have been adapting to nature modifications induced by men.
