Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus and alien sturgeon species in Polish waters: can biometric analysis assist species discrimination and restoration?

• Published in: Acta Biologica
• Main Authors: Sławomir Keszka, Remigiusz Panicz
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Szczecin University Press 2018
• Subjects: bycatch; countable and measurable characters; multidimensional analysis; restocking; species identification; Ecology; QH540-549.5; Acipenser baerii
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.18276/ab.2018.25-01; https://doaj.org/article/0be4a85a146144598ae32d8624b28563

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.