[Evidence of species specific pericentric inversion in the karyotype of the midge Chironomus balatonicus].

Pericentric inversions do not play any important role in chromosomal rearrangements in the karyotype evolution of the genus Chironomus. However, a unique case of the fixed pericentric inversion was discovered in chromosome 2 of Chironomus balatonicus--one of the members of plumosus-species group (Kikhadze et al., 1996a; Golygina et al., 1996). According to morphological criteria, a centromere band on chromosome 2 changed its position in Ch. balatonicus. The cloned H3-SauDNA, specific for centromeres in plumosus group, was in situ hybridized with Ch. balatonicus polytene chromosomes, and thus a real change in the centromere position was proved to be a result of pericentric inversion. This was also confirmed after differential C-staining.