MULTIPLE NUCLEI DURING EARLY OOGENESIS IN FLECTONOTUS PYGMAEUS AND OTHER MARSUPIAL FROGS

¹ Instituto de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad CatÓlica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
² Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322

The occurrence of multinucleate stages during oogenesis appears to be widespread in the marsupial frogs of South America. In some species the number of nuclei or nucleus-like entities per oocyte is estimated to be as high as 2000, but the number in other species may be considerably lower; some species have only a single oocyte nucleus. In all cases it seems that only a single nucleus remains as the oocyte approaches maturity. The situation suggests a massive general amplification of the genome of the multinucleate oocytes that is much greater than has yet been reported. Possible relationships between the occurrence of the multinucleate condition and such features as egg size and reproductive pattern are discussed, but no final conclusions can be made on the basis of the evidence presently available.

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