G-banding evidence for a conserved complement in the Marsupialia.

G-banding data are presented for a wide range of Australian marsupial species and one South American species, all of which have 2n = 14. The chromosome banding pattern in each of these species is very similar. Variations between species can be explained by structural changes internal to individual chromosomes. This evidence favors the hypothesis of a conserved complement common to both Australian and American marsupials and underlies the dominant role of chromosome fission in the evolution of this group.