Abstract
The small-sized
Crocidura horsfieldii
(Tomes, 1856) species complex, comprising
C. watasei
(Kuroda, 1924),
C. tadae
(Tokuda et Kano, 1936),
C. kurodai
(Jameson et Jones, 1977),
C. wuchihensis
(Wang, 1966), and
C. indochinensis
(Robinson et Kloss, 1922), has long been the subject of taxonomic confusion in the literature. Here, we report for the first time the karyotype of female
C. indochinensis
from Yongde Snow Mountain, based on conventional Giemsa staining and the GTG-banding technique.
C. indochinensis
has 2n = 38 and FN = 56. The autosomes consist of four metacentric or submetacentric pairs, four subtelocentric pairs, and ten acrocentric pairs, whereas the X chromosome is a medium-sized submetacentric. Our results demonstrate that the karyotype of
C. indochinensis
differs markedly in 2n and FN from those of
C. horsfieldii
,
C. watasei
,
C. tadae
and
C. kurodai
, providing further evidence for the distinct species status of
C. indochinensis
within this complex. Furthermore, comparative analysis of the G-banded chromosomes of
C. indochinensis
and
C. dsinezumi
revealed a high degree of karyotypic homology, with their karyotypes differing primarily by a single fusion/fission event and a centromeric shift or a pericentric inversion, thereby enhancing our understanding of karyotype evolution within the genus
Crocidura
Wagler, 1832.