First report on meiotic behavior of chromosomes in three species of subfamily Pentatominae (Pentatomidae: Heteroptera).

Regardless of rich biodiversity, cytogenetic reports on Pentatomidae refer to less than 400 species. This paper reports, for the first time, course of meiosis of three species of subfamily Pentatominae viz., Tolumnia antennata Distant, Cahara jugatoria (Lethierry) and Cahara confusa (Distant). Species-specific variations observed with respect to association pattern of X and Y during prophase, arrangement pattern of chromosomes at metaphase I and degree of association between X and Y in the pseudobivalent at metaphase II are explained in the present paper.Tolumnia antennata and Cahara jugatoria possess 2n=14=12A+XY while Cahara confusa possesses 2n=12=10A+XY. At least one ring bivalent is observed during diplotene in all the three species. X and Y dissociate to get well separated at diplotene in Cahara confusa, at diakinesis in Tolumnia antennata and at metaphase I in Cahara jugatoria. In Cahara jugatoria, at metaphase I, X and Y are peripheral forming a part of the ring. In Cahara confusa, at metaphase II, X is peripheral while Y lies in the centre and the two fail to associate to form a pseudobivalent, a phenomenon never recorded earlier in any pentatomid.