The Karyotype of the Brightbelly Sculpin Microcottus sellaris (Gilbert, 1896) (Cottidae: Myoxocephalinae)

The karyotype of the brightbelly sculpin Microcottus sellaris (Gilbert, 1896) (family Cottidae) from the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk has been studied for the first time. The karyotype is stable; it includes 42 chromosomes (2 metacentric, 2 submetacentric, 32 subtelocentric, and 6 acrocentric chromosomes); the number of chromosome arms is 46. A comparative analysis of the basic karyotype traits was carried out for M. sellaris and for the Far Eastern species of the genus Myoxocephalus (M. stelleri from the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk, M. brandtii, M. jaok, M. ochotensis, and M.polyacanthocephalus). The traits that allow differentiation of M. sellaris from species of the genus Myoxocephalus, as well as the common traits indicating their relationship, are identified.