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Meristic and morphological features of the Baltic sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.)
Author(s) -
Debus L.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of applied ichthyology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1439-0426
pISSN - 0175-8659
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0426.1999.tb00203.x
Subject(s) - meristics , sturgeon , rostrum , snout , biology , fishery , population , acipenser , dorsum , baltic sea , zoology , fish <actinopterygii> , oceanography , anatomy , genus , geology , demography , sociology
Summary In order to perform a population recovery program of the common sturgeon, Acipenser sturio , of the Baltic Sea, it was necessary to define the morphological, genetical and ecological characteristics of this species. Although the sturgeon was an important commercial fish until the beginning of the 20th century, only one study gathered a complete morphological description which wa based on 5 preserved specimens (Marti, 1939). Due to the quasi extinction of the North European sturgeon population the only option to investigate the morphology of the Baltic sturgeon was to collect data from Museum specimens. 27 museal specimens and one live individual were included in the morphological analysis, using the conventional Russian methodology as well as the method of trust network measurement. Studying the literature on classical morphometry of A. sturio , different methods for measuring head length were identified and their relevance is discussed. It is concluded that because of the variability of the sturgeon's rostrum due to mechanical damages during the life (mainly through scraping against substrates while feeding) the morphological investigations should not use distances related to the tip of the snout. Comparing the amount of dorsal and lateral bony plates, the Baltic sturgeon seems to differ from A. sturio from the Gironde (Atlantic Ocean) and the Rioni (Black Sea). The meristic differences between A. sturio from the Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean and Black Sea may show a boundary effect of the narrow North Sea‐ Baltic Sea connection. However, the rhombic denticles between the dorsal and lateral plates and the same radially striated structure of the dorsal plates of common sturgeon living in European waters seem to point to the existence of only one species in the region. Further ecological (Spawning behaviour), and genetic (karyotype and DNA‐sequencing) studies are envisaged to document whether geographical distance leads to genetic differences among specimens originating from a larger European region.