Genetic Blue-print of the Northern Green Barbet

The present study pertains to the cytological analysis of the northern green barbet, Megalaima zeylanica caniceps. The cells were harvested, in vivo, from previously colchicinized mature individuals, following the conventional air-drying technique of Rothfels & Siminovitch (1958) with certain modifications. Chromosomes were categorized as per homologies based on arm ratio and were arranged, lengthwise, in a declining order. Chromosome count in 274 well spread metaphases revealed 96 + as modal diploid number. There were 16 pairs of macrochromosomes, including a pair of sex chromosomes. (Z-a sub-telocentric element, second in order of size and W-a sub-metacentric chromosome, third in order of size). The remaining thirty two pairs formed a continuous series whose morphology could not be ascertained and were clubbed together as microchromosomes.