The phylogenetic relationships and the phylogeography of seven species of Caucasian barbels of the genus Barbus s. str. were studied based on extended geographic coverage and the use of mtDNA and nDNA markers. Based on the 26 species studied, matrilineal phylogeny of the genus Barbus is composed of two clades: a) West European clade, and b) Central and East European clade. The latter comprises two subclades: b1) Balkanian subclade, and b2) Ponto-Caspian subclade, which includes 11 lineages mainly from Black and Caspian Sea drainages. Caucasian barbels are not monophyletic and are subdivided into two groups. The Black Sea group encompasses species from tributaries of the Black Sea, including the reinstalled B. rionicus, except for B. kubanicus. The Caspian group includes B. ciscaucasicus, B. cyri (with B. goktschaicus, which might be synonymized with B. cyri), B. lacerta from the Tigris-Euphrates basin and B. kubanicus from the Kuban basin. The genetic structure of Black Sea barbels was influenced by glaciation-deglaciation periods accompanied by freshwater phases, periods of migration and the colonization of Black Sea tributaries. Intra-and intergeneric hybridization among Caucasian barbines was revealed for the first time. In the present study, we report the discovery of B. escherichii in the Kuban basin, where only B. kubanicus was known to inhabit.Hybrids of these two species were detected based on both mtDNA and nDNA markers. Remarkably, the Kuban population of B. escherichii is distant to closely located conspecific populations, and we consider it as a relic. We reveal the intergeneric hybridization between evolutionary tetraploid (2n=100) B. goktschaicus and evolutionary hexaploid (2n=150) Capoeta sevangi in Lake Sevan.
The South Caucasus (SC) region is recognized for its high biological diversity and various endemic animal taxa. The area has experienced many fish introductions over the years, but the overall information about non-native fishes in the three SC countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia did not exist. Although these three countries belong to the Kura River drainage, Caspian Sea basin (only the western half of Georgia drains into the Black Sea), the legislative framework for each country regarding introduction of non-native fish species and their treatment is different and poorly developed. The goal of the present study was to make an initial inventory of non-native fish species in the three SC countries, and summarize the existing knowledge as a basis for future risk assessment models and formulation of regional management policies. Here, we present a unified list of 27 non-native species recorded in the wild in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Among these 27 species, eight were translocated from the Black Sea basin to the Caspian Sea basin. Out of these 27 non-native fishes, 15 species have become established (three of them being considered invasive) and six fish species could not survive in the wild.
Spirlins of the genus Alburnoides are widespread fishes, which taxonomy has been rapidly developing in recent years. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) was used as DNA barcode marker to create a reference dataset of Caucasian Alburnoides and to test its barcoding efficiency. All four previously known Caucasian species of Alburnoides were confirmed as valid species with high genetic distances to sister species as well confirmed as Caucasian endemics. Alburnoides samiii, previously known from Sefidroud basin (Iran), was discovered in Transcaucasia. The accuracy of species identification of Ponto-Caspian Alburnoides by DNA barcodes was 100%. In addition, one potentially new species within A. gmelini was revealed. Despite the limited ability of COI to infer phylogenetic relationships, study provided evidence that Ponto-Caspian lineage of Alburnoides includes significantly larger number of species from Caspian Sea basin and inland basins of Central Asia.
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