Chromosome number and karyotype of the endangered Amazonian woody Centrolobium paraense Tul. species

Centrolobium paraense Tul., popularly known in Brazil as "pau-rainha", is a species with a high timber potential, presently endangered due to deforestation of the Amazonian region and indiscriminate wood extraction. Chromosome number and karyotype morphology of this species are presented for the first time. All the individuals of the three populations analyzed are diploid, with 2n=2x=20 chromosomes. The chromosomes ranging from ca. 1.7 to 4 μm in size. The karyotype is composed of three metacentric, three submetacentric (one with a satellite on the short arm), three acrocentric and one subacrocentric chromosome pairs. Other Centrolobium species and populations should be analyzed in order to assess the extent of intraspecific and interspecific variation in chromosome number and morphology, if any.