Zoolog Sci 2002 Oct 01;1910:1095-103. doi: 10.2108/zsj.19.1095.

Chromosomes of Japanese starfishes.

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We developed a method for preparing starfish chromosomes from embryos. Blastulae were treated with colchicine (0.2-4.0 mg/ml), dissociated into single blastomeres by pippeting, swollen with 7% sodium citrate, and fixed with methanol: acetic acid (3:1). The fixed cells were dropped on a slide and air-dried. We examined the chromosome number in five species of asteroids belonging to 4 families (Luidiidae, Astropectinidae, Asterinidae, and Asteriidae), and all had a diploid number of 44. We analyzed the karyotype in 4 of the species, and all were different. We visualized the nucleolus organizer regions of an Asterina species and an Asterias species and found them to be quite different from each other.

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