The genome of the southern short-horned tree dragon Acanthosaura meridiona Trivalairat, Sumontha, Kunya & Chaingkul, 2022 (Squamata, Draconinae) was analyzed using classical and molecular techniques to identify and study its chromosomal and repet

The cytogenetics of the southern short-horned tree dragon (Acanthosaura meridiona) are not reported yet. This study describes the karyotype of Acanthosaura meridiona Trivalairat, Sumontha, Kunya & Chaingkul, 2022 from southern Thailand. We using Giemsa staining, Ag-NOR banding, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques using microsatellites d(CA)15, d(TA)15, d(CGG)10, and d(CAA)10 probes to analyze the chromosome. The karyotype of the A. meridiona is 2n = 34 chromosomes (fundamental number of 46), of which 5 pairs were large metacentric chromosomes, 2 pairs small metacentric chromosomes, and 20 microchromosomes (chromosome formula: 2n=34=Lm10+ Sm4+20mi). There are no sex differences in karyotypes between males and females. The NORs loci were on pair 5 of the large metacentric macrochromosomes. The FISH technique showed d(CA)15 and d(CGG)10 repeats on specific regions microchromosomes, while signals of d(TA)15 and d(CAA)10 repeats interspersed on macro- and microchromosomes. This study is significant for enhances our comprehension of the evolutionary mechanism of agamid lizards and promotes the conservation of biodiversity in tropical rainforests.