Cytogenetic study of Leptodactylus fuscus and L. latrans (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the semiarid Brazilian Caatinga scrublands

Frogs in the family Leptodactylidae have diploid chromosome numbers ranging from 2n = 18 to 2n = 26, although there is a predominance of 2n = 22 karyotypes. In the present study, 52 specimens of Leptodactylus fuscus and Leptodactylus latrans were obtained from three municipalities (Carira, Pogo Redondo, and Tobias Barreto) of the Brazilian state of Sergipe for karyotype analysis using conventional Giemsa staining techniques, and C- and Ag-NOR banding of the chromosomes obtained from the intestinal epithelium. The results of this study show that the individuals analyzed have highly similar karyotypes, with no evidence of any pronounced species-specific markers. However, some differences were observed in the chromosome morphology and C-bands in comparison with the karyotypes described previously for these species, which may represent intraspecific geographic variation in both taxa.