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Comparisons of albumin indicate that the frogs commonly used by North American molecular and developmental biologists under the name of Xenopus muelleri belong to another species, X. borealis. Phylogenetic analysis of the albumin data reveals two major groups of Xenopus species, one containing only X. tropicalis and the other, called the X. laevis grou, containing the remaining species of the genus. The phylogenetic tree, in conjunction with evidence from chromosomes and DNA content, leads to the hypothesis that total genome duplication occurred in the common ancestor of the X. laevis group.

A cytological analysis of the recently discovered tetraploid species Xenopus epitropicalis was carried out, using, in addition to the classical orcein method, silver staining and alkaline Giemsa banding techniques. The chromosome number of X. epitropicalis was found to be 40. The chromosomes can be grouped in to sets of four similar chromosomes (quartets), resembling the karyotype of X. tropicalis (2n = 20). However, C-band patterns revealed heterogeneity within the quartets, dividing each of them into two pairs of homologous chromosomes (“duets”). Moreover, there are differences in the position and distribution of constitutive heterochromatin between the karyotypes of X. epitropicalis and X. tropicalis. The secondary constrictions stained by silver and representing the nucleolar organizer regions (NOR’s) appear in both species on chromosome pair 5. During meiosis, usually only bivalents appear in X. epitropicalis. The question of whether this species is of autopolyploid or allopolyploid origin cannot be answered with certainty; however, it seems to have a common ancestor with X. tropicalis.

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Nuclear DNA amounts were determined by cytofluorometry for twelve species and subspecies of the genus Xenopus. Absolute values, in pg per nucleus, were obtained by direct comparison with human lymphocyte nuclei. The lowest DNA amount (3.55 pg) was found in X. tropicalis, which possess only 20 chromosomes, and the highest (16.25 pg), in the hexaploid X. ruwenzoriensis, with 108 chromosomes. The two recently discovered tetraploid species, X. sp.n. and X. vestitus have, respectively 12,57 and 12.83 pg of DNA. Among the species and subspecies with 36 chromosomes, the DNA content ranges from 6.35 to 8.45 pg.