Cytological studies of certain desert mammals of Saudi Arabia 5. The karyotype of Meriones rex

Male and female specimens of Meriones rex were collected from agricultural areas of Asir province in Saudi Arabia. The mitotic and meiotic chromosomes were analysed and the diploid number of chromosomes was found to be 38. The karyotype showed 24 metacentric, 10 submetacentric and 2 acrocentric autosomes. The sex chromosomes were represented by a medium-sized metacentric X and a small metacentric Y chromosome. The fundamental number (FN) was 74.This project has been supported by Research Center of College of Science, King Saud University (Zoo/1402/11), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.