A field-trip microtechnique for studying fish leukocyte chromosomes

Abstract

An ideal technique for field cytotaxonomy of fishes should be rapid, efficient, and time- and distance-independent. It should work on small as well as big specimens, and it should be amenable to air-drying. A technique meeting these requirements is as follows. A few drops of whole blood are collected from the specimens during field trips and kept in culture medium. In the laboratory, the medium is changed, Phytohemagglutinin is added, and the cells are cultivated at room temperature for about 3 days, after which air-drying fixation is performed. For very small specimens, the blood from several individuals may be pooled in one culture vessel.