Q BAND CHROMOSOMAL POLYMORPHISMS IN LAKE TROUT (SALVELINUS NAMAYCUSH)

Ruth B. Phillips ¹ and Kerry D. Zajicek ²

¹ Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201
² Center for Great Lakes Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201

Q banding of chromosome preparations from lake trout revealed the presence of heteromorphic quinacrine bright bands on several chromosomes. All of the metacentric chromosome pairs can be distinguished on the basis of number, position and intensity of the quinacrine bright bands and chromosome size. These bands appear to represent heterochromatin, since they are darkly staining with the C band technique. Since all of the fish examined had consistent heteromorphisms at several of the quinacrine bright bands, these chromosome markers should be useful in genetic comparisons between different trout stocks and populations.