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New osteological and morphological data of four species of Aphaniops (Teleostei; Aphaniidae)
Author(s) -
Charmpila Eleni A.,
Teimori Azad,
Freyhof Jörg,
Weissenbacher Anton,
Reichenbacher Bettina
Publication year - 2020
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/jai.14074
Subject(s) - osteology , biology , vertebral column , anatomy , teleostei , vertebra , skeleton (computer programming) , axial skeleton , dispar , zoology , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , entamoeba histolytica , microbiology and biotechnology
Aphaniops dispar , widespread around the Arabian Peninsula, was recently separated in four species ( A. dispar , A. hormuzensis , A. kruppi , A. stoliczkanus ) by molecular results and colour patterns, but the morphological differences are small and call for more studies. Here we report differences in skeleton and median fin osteology of these species. In addition, we introduce the term 'modified caudal vertebra' to describe caudal vertebrae that are not directly associated with caudal ray support but are visibly modified from a 'usual' caudal vertebra. Aphaniops hormuzensis , an endemic species to southern Iran, has a significantly higher number of modified caudal vertebrae compared to the more widespread A. stoliczkanus and A. dispar , and also to A. kruppi . This is a surprising result as the caudal skeleton and related structures of the posterior caudal vertebral column have yielded successful results in separating between families or genera, but there are only a few studies that have examined these structures for their role in species diagnosis. Our study also highlights that state‐of‐the‐art methods in X‐raying and improved staining procedures assist in the discrimination of superficially similar species.