Compound Mosaicism, Caused by B Chromosome Variability, in the Chinese Raccoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides procyonoides)

The distribution of B chromosomes in a group of twenty-six farm Chinese raccoon dogs was analysed using Giemsa staining and sequentional Q/C banding techniques. It was shown that three different types of B chromosomes are widely distributed among the studied animals. The variability of the B chromosome number was limited (0-4) and two B chromosomes occurred with the highest frequency. Mosaic karyotypes appeared to be very common in this species. Only two animals had a stable karyotype in terms of the B chromosome number. The mosaicism of the B chromosomes had a compound character, since karyotypes of the studied raccoon dogs differed in terms of the number of Bs as well as the presence of the three morphological types of the Bs.