Some of the largest polytene chromosomes described thus far (see scale bar in figure below) occur in larval salivary gland cells of the Chironomid genus Axarus.
X chromosome | Y chromosome | Philadelphia chromosome | polytene chromosome | Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup | An inversion loop in the A arm of a chromosome from an ''Axarus |
The fly is scientifically notable for the physiology of its polytene chromosomes and developmentally regulated amplified puffs, first observed by Crodowaldo Pavan.