A comparative study on karyotype and chromosome banding of three species of Amolops from southeastern China

C-banding pattern and Ag-NORs of three species of Amolops, A.granulosus, A.jinjiangensis and A.viridimaculatus were examined and presented. Karyptypes of three species had 2n-26 chromosomes consisting of 5 large and 8 small piars, are similar in many other species of the family Ranidae. They differ from each other both in chromosome shapes and the positions of secondary constrictions. C-banding technique revealed that the number of heterochromatic sections was high in chromosome of three examined species, especially in chromosomes of A.granulosus. It is the same case for all three species examined here. that Ag-NORs were lovalized in the short arms of pair No.6, in coincidence with secondary constrictions.The males of A.granulosus are unique in having an extra-chromosome in Amolops, which is tentatively recognized as Y chromosome. This Y chromosome resembles pair No.7 in chromosome shape, but differs from all the other chromosome in having large amount of heteroshromatin. Karyological characteristics strongly support the assignment of A. jinjiangensis as a distinct species.Evolutionary and taxonomic implictations of the finding were also discussed.