Premium
Biogeography of R utilus species of the southern B alkan P eninsula as inferred by multivariate analysis of morphological data
Author(s) -
Tsoumani M.,
Apostolidis A. P.,
Leonardos I. D.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2012.00979.x
Subject(s) - biology , meristics , biogeography , zoology , genus , species complex , ecology , fauna , phylogenetic tree , genetics , gene
Morphological patterns among species of the genus R utilus from the southern B alkan P eninsula were analysed to identify morphological differentiation and its palaeogeographic history. Seven meristic and 65 morphometric characters, based on 20 landmarks, were studied on 711 specimens from 15 G reek lakes. Multivariate analyses demonstrated a well‐supported differentiation of the western and northern from the eastern R utilus species' populations, separated by the P indos M ountains. In N orth‐western G reece, there are three isolated endemic species, in different biogeographical areas ( R . prespensis in the S outhern A driatic, R . panosi in the I onian and R . ylikiensis in the A ttico‐ B oeotia), while in the N orthern A egean, multiple non‐homogeneous populations of the cosmopolitan R . rutilus can be found. This distribution is clearly in accordance with the biogeographical scenario for the distribution of freshwater fauna of the B alkan P eninsula. This study confirms differentiation of the populations of L akes K astoria, V olvi, V egoritida and D oirani, and emphasizes the likely existence of cryptic species within R . rutilus populations.