Distribution and genetic diversity of two species ofPelasgusminnows (Leuciscidae) in southern Greece

Abstract

Pelasgus Kottelat & Freyhof 2007 (Leuciscidae) is a freshwater fish genus endemic to the Southern Balkans. The distribution of most of its species is insufficiently known. Pelasgus was molecularly studied only marginally, and the genetic diversity of individual species or populations, crucial for their conservation, is completely unknown. We studied distribution and genetic diversity of Pelasgus stymphalicus (Valenciennes 1844) and Pelasgus marathonicus (Vinciguerra 1921), two widespread species from southern Greece. Our data, based on cytochrome b sequences, confirmed that a number of populations whose taxonomic status had been uncertain, belong to one of these species. The distribution range of P. stymphalicus includes the Ionian mainland, from the Acheloos to Mornos rivers, and most of the Peloponnese, excluding the Evrotas and the headwaters of Alfios. The native range of Pelasgus marathonicus is the western Aegean mainland, from rivers near Athens to the Xerias river in the Pagasitikos Gulf. AMOVA showed that the genetic variance is slightly higher among than between populations. High FST values indicated a pronounced genetic differentiation of the populations in both species. There was a high proportion of private haplotypes and a very small number of shared haplotypes between populations in both species, which indicates uniqueness of each population and their susceptibility to human-induced changes.

Recent Data on the Distribution of Freshwater Ichthyofauna in Albania

“…Detailed field studies in specific catchments provided additional valuable information on the freshwater ichthyofauna of Albania (Shumka et al, 2018a;Shumka et al, 2020a). In addition, numerous studies focusing on specific groups (Böhlen et al, 2006;Mendel et al, 2008;Šanda et al, 2008;Buj et al, 2010;Marková et al, 2010;Palandačić et al, 2015;Stierandová et al, 2016;Schönhuth et al, 2018;Meulenbroek et al, 2020;Viñuela Rodríguez et al, 2020) helped to determine the systematic position of a number of populations of Albanian freshwater fishes. Based on a literature review, we counted 101 freshwater fish species belonging to 25 families (Table 1).…”

Small-scale metapopulation structure of a limnophilic fish species in a natural river system investigated using microsatellite genotyping by amplicon sequencing (SSR-GBAS)

“…No specimens were present in the main arm of the Vjosa River [ 17 ] and therefore higher flow may present strong barriers to gene flow. Previous studies for this genus have only focused on analysis of populations for different drainage systems [ 19 ] or on the evolutionary history [ 20 ].…”