The C-banding and Ag-NOR distribution patterns in the fallow deer Dama dama (Mammalia: Cervidae) from Turkey

The karyotype was examined in two specimens of the fallow deer (Dama dama) originating from the last indigenous population in Anatolia, Turkey. The complement includes 68 chromosomes, with the acrocentric X chromosome and the small metacentric Y chromosome. The autosomal complement contains a single metacentric pair and 32 acrocentric pairs of diminishing size. The metacentric autosomal pair possesses only an indistinct dark C-band in the centromeric area, whereas the acrocentric autosomes and the X chromosome have large C-positively stained pericentromeric blocks. The Y chromosome stains C-positively but the intensity of staining is lower than in the centromeric areas of other chromosomes. The Ag-NOR sites were detected in telomeric regions of the long arms of two large acrocentric autosomal pairs. The chromosome complement seems to be identical with karyotypes examined in various introduced and captive populations.