A cytogenetic study of the crayfish Procambarus digueti (Bouvier, 1897) (Decapoda, Cambaridae) from Lake Camecuaro, Michoacan, Mexico

This work was carried out to determine and describe the karyology and the ideogram of the crayfish, Procambarus digueti. A new technique for the cytogenetic study of freshwater Decapoda was adapted for these investigations. For P. digueti, the fundamental chromosome number is f.n. = 204, with a diploid number 2n = 102. The chromosomal formula is 35 mediocentrics (M), 15 metacentrics (m), and one submetacentric (St). We discuss the usefulness of cytogenetic methodology in discriminating closely related taxa, and, also, as a tool for supporting existing taxonomic criteria.