Allozyme differences between two endangered mediterranean killifishes, aphanius iberus and A. fasciatus (teleostei: Cyprinodontidae)

Abstract

Cellulose acetate electrophoresis of allozymes was used to differentiate the two endangered Mediterranean killifishes, Aphanius iberus and A. fasciatus. Thirty-eight putative enzyme-coding loci were examined in two populations from the Albuixec lagoon (Spain) and from the Biguglia coastal pond (Corsica). Low within-population polymorphism was detected. The mean number of al-leles per locus, percentage of polymorphic loci, and heterozygos-ity were A = 1.2 (SE 0.1), P99 = 21.1%, H = 0.050 (SE 0.018) in A. iberus, and A = 1.3 (SE 0.1), P99 = 28.9%, H = 0.057 (SE 0.019) in A. fasciatus. A general concordance with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was detected. Allelic distribution for 13 loci proved diagnostic at species level. The genetic distance between the two species analysed was relatively high (D = 0.539), indicating considerable genetic divergence between the two congeneric species. These results represent a valuable basis for further studies on the genetic structure of Mediterranean cyprinodontids to ensure sustainable management of these species. © 1998 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.