The recognition and identification of the two species of Spicara genus (Spicara flexuosa, picarel and Spicara maena, blotched picarel) is difficult, due to a systematic confusion until now. In this work a number of external morphometric features (ten body ratios) are evaluated for their diagnostic possibilities. According to Principal Component Analysis results, the body ratios head length to standard length, head height to head length and the ratios of two body heights, indicated that these characters were not related to the maturity stage of the species. The discriminant analysis based on the above body ratios, indicated a rather high level of discrimination (83.2%) of the examined samples for two species. The results are discussed, and possibilities for improvement of the identification methodology for the two species are proposed.
A DNA methodology based on PCR and sequencing analysis of the mtDNA 16S rRNA gene was developed for the discrimination of picarel Spicara flexuosa and blotched picarel Spicara maena (Pisces: Centracanthidae). The molecular results indicated that there is a clear discrimination between the two species, as all the individuals of S. flexuosa revealed the same 16S rDNA haplotype while the S. maena haplotype differs in 15 distinct nucleotides.
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