A comparison of heterochromatic regions in three species of neotropical canids

Hybridization in Canids-A Case Study of Pampas Fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) and Domestic Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) Hybrid

Hybridization between species with different evolutionary trajectories can be a powerful threat to wildlife conservation. Anthropogenic activities, such as agriculture and livestock, have led to the degradation and loss of natural habitats for wildlife. Consequently, the incidence of interspecific hybridization between wild and domestic species has increased, although cases involving species of different genera are rare. In Vacaria, a Southern city in Brazil, a female canid with a strange phenotype, which had characteristics between the phenotype of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and that of the pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), was found. Our analysis suggests that the animal is a hybrid between a domestic dog and a pampas fox, but future studies are necessary to investigate additional cases of this hybridization in nature. This finding worries for the conservation of wild canids in South America, especially concerning Lycalopex species. Hybridization with the domestic dog may have harmful effects on pampas fox populations due to the potential for introgression and disease transmission by the domestic dog. Therefore, future studies to explore the consequences of hybridization on genetics, ecology, and behavior of wild populations will be essential to improve the conservation of this species.

Cytogenetics from the Dock: A New Postmortem Protocol Makes It Possible to Obtain Cytogenetic Preparations from Marine Fish

Cytogenetic studies in marine fish are scarce, and elemental cytogenetic information is available for not >2% of the species. Traditional cytogenetic methods require living individuals for their application, making the analysis of marine ichthyofauna very difficult. In this study, we present a detailed new protocol to obtain cytogenetic preparations from marine fish, through access to specimens in postmortem condition. The application of this protocol made it possible to access elemental cytogenetic information (diploid number) in six native species of the South Pacific Ocean, representative of five orders. In this way, we provide a new low-cost methodological tool for focused or large-scale cytogenetic analysis, both in economically important, native, or threatened species.