Comparative chromosome painting in Chacoan peccary, Catagonus wagneri.

Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri, 2n=20) is the most endangered of three extant species of Tayassuidae. Its karyotype has been studied only by differential chromosome staining methods so far. To establish a comparative cytogenetic map of the peccary, we used cross-species hybridization with porcine (Sus scrofa, 2n=38) painting probes. Painting revealed 30 evolutionary conserved autosomal segments between pig and peccary. The q-arm of the submetacentric chromosome X is homologous to the porcine X chromosome, while the p-arm is composed of heterochromatin. Nucleolar organizer regions were detected on chromosomes 8 and 9 which are homologous to pig chromosomes 8 and 4/18, respectively. Fusions of chromosomes homologous to pig chromosomes 4/7 and 4/18 and fission of chromosome 7 are synapomorphic characters shared by Catagonus wagneri and Tayassu pecari but not by Pecari tajacu. Our results confirmed a high rate of karyotype evolution in Tayassuidae and a closer relationship of Catagonus wagneri with Tayassu pecari than with Pecari tajacu.