Abstract:
Here we present the first data on karyotype structures in five spider species belonging to the families Agelenidae, Salticidae and Thomisidae collected from Mediterranean and central regions of Turkey. An air-drying method was used to obtain mitotic and meiotic chromosomes. The karyotype characteristics including diploid chromosome number and sex chromosome systems were in Salticidae: Euophrys frontalis (Walckenaer, 1802) and Attulus distinguendus (Simon, 1868), 2n♂ = 28, X1X20; Thomisidae: Xysticus lanio C. L. Koch, 1835 and Xysticus ferrugineus Menge, 1876, 2n♂ = 23, X0; Agelenidae: Agelena orientalis C. L. Koch, 1837, 2n♂ = 42, X1X20. Sex chromosomes were identified tentatively. All species contained monoarmed chromosomes and there was a gradual decrease in their total lengths.