Variability of Morphological Characters of the Genus Alburnoides (Pisces, Leuciscidae) from Watercourses in Southern Russia

• Published in: Inland water biology Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 401 - 409
• Main Authors: Belogurova, R. E., Karpova, E. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.06.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alburnoides; Biodiversity; Biology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cluster analysis; Fish; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Geoecology/Natural Processes; Heterogeneity; Ichthyofauna; Life Sciences; Meristic counts; Morphology; Rivers; Statistical analysis; Systematics of Hydrobionts; Variability; Watercourses; Angara River; Russia; watercourses; plastic and meristic characters; variability; Krasnodar krai; Crimean Peninsula; spirlins
• ISSN: 1995-0829; 1995-0837
• DOI: 10.1134/S1995082924700032

The variability of the morphological characters of the genus Alburnoides Jeitteles, 1861 from watercourses in the south of Russia (five rivers of the Crimean Peninsula and two rivers of Krasnodar krai) is considered. It has been established that, in spirlins within the study areas, body sizes average from 60.1 ± 1.45 mm in individuals from the Gostagaika River (Krasnodar krai) up to 88.2 ± 1.87 mm in fish from the Angara River (Crimean Peninsula). Using the Mann–Whitney test, statistically significant differences were registered between the samples in most plastic characters; they were absent in meristic characters. In the studied regions, heterogeneity in the structure of the genus Alburnoides was noted: according to the results of cluster analysis for the totality of all studied characters, the greatest similarity was found in samples from Crimean rivers that are geographically close to each other (the Chernaya, Belbek, Kacha, and Alma), but the group from the Angara River adjoins them at a higher level of divergence. A separate group is formed by samples from the rivers of Krasnodar krai. The data are consistent with the literary information on the formation of the ichthyofauna in the rivers of Crimea; the clear differences between the spirlins from the rivers of southern Russia require a more detailed study.