Chromosome rearrangements in Tribolium castaneum

Abstract

An efficient method for Isolating chromosome rearrangements in the red flour beetle, Tribollum castaneum, is described. One or more viable rearrangements were detected in 46 percent of all chromosomes screened after γ-irradiation of males. Fertility of male rearrangement heterozygotes was measured for 35 unique rearrangements, and breakpoint distribution among eight of the nine autosomal linkage groups was determined for 33 of them using 2- and 3-point crosses. We measured the effects of most of the rearrangements on crossing over in the vicinities of their breakpoints. Autosomal linkage group 9, which was probably translocated onto the X-chromosome of T. castaneum during the speciation of the congeneric T. confusum, is shown to be a subset of linkage group 2.