Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus and alien sturgeon species in Polish waters: can biometric analysis assist species discrimination and restoration?
Biometric character analyses were conducted on Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus, a species included in a re-establishment programme in the Baltic Sea basin. The study sought to identify measurable and countable characters most useful for distinguishing A. oxyrinchus from three alien species fo...
| Published in: | Acta Biologica |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Szczecin University Press
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.18276/ab.2018.25-01 https://doaj.org/article/0be4a85a146144598ae32d8624b28563 |
| Summary: | Biometric character analyses were conducted on Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus, a species included in a re-establishment programme in the Baltic Sea basin. The study sought to identify measurable and countable characters most useful for distinguishing A. oxyrinchus from three alien species found in open waters of Poland: Acipenser baerii, Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, and Acipenser stellatus. Measurable characters that contributed most to discrimination included preorbital distance, eye diameter, ventral fin base to anal fin base, and postorbital distance. Among countable characters, the number of lateral scutes made the greatest contribution. The data from the present study may be used to supplement existing systematic keys and lay the foundations for creating a catalogue or atlas of popular species and interspecific hybrids of sturgeon, including their complete systematic determination. |
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