A karyotype is the observed characteristics (number, type, shape etc) of the chromosomes of an individual or species.In normal
diploid organisms,
autosomal chromosomes are present in two identical copies, although
polyploid cells have multiple copies of chromosomes and
haploid cells have single copies. The chromosomes are arranged and displayed (often on a photo) in a standard format known as an idiogram: in pairs, ordered by size and position of centromere for chromosomes of the same size. Karyotypes are used to study
chromosomal aberrations, and may be used to determine other macroscopically visible aspects of an individual's
genotype, such as
sex. In order to be able to see the chromosomes and determine their size and internal pattern, they are chemically labeled with a dye ("stained"). The pattern of individual chromosomes is called chromosome banding, whereas the study of whole sets of chromosomes is known as karyology.
See more at Wikipedia.org...
A standard arrangement of the chromosome complement, done for chromosome analysis.