Chromosome Polymorphism in the European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus (Insectivora)

Abstract

THE karyotypes of two supposed sub-species of the European hedgehog¹ were investigated by the use of bone marrow preparations. Two hedgehogs of each sex were caught in the Siebengebirge area near Bonn, Federal German Republic. They were recognized as belonging to the sub-species Erinaceus europaeus europaeus L. 1758, with a brownish coloured chest^2,3. The modal diploid chromosome number was 48 as previously noted by Painter⁴ and Bovey⁵. In Fig. 1a the karyotype of a male animal of E. e. europaeus is shown. Several of the autosomes are easily identified, namely, two large sub-acrocentrics, one medium sized acrocentric and two remarkably small metacentrics. They are labelled tentatively as a, Nos. 2, 3, 21, 22 and 23 respectively. There is an XX–XY sex determining mechanism. Using tritiated thyrmdme for labelling, the X chromosome could be ascertained as one of the moderately large metacentrics. The Y chromosome is a very small sub-metacentric, scarcely larger than the autosomes No 22 and 23.