Morphometric Variations Among Three Populations of Alburnus zagrosensis (Coad, 2009) in the Zagros Mountain Basin, Iran

Abstract

In the present study, the morphometric differentiation among three populations of Alburnus zagrosensis (Coad, 1) in Zagros mountains basin is analyzed. Fish specimens were sampled from three habitats namely Cheshme Ali, Hamze Ali and Choghakhour wetland in Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari Province, Iran. ANOSIM (Analysis of Similarity), SIMPER (Similarity percentage analysis) and Canonical discriminant analysis were employed in order to define the morphological features responsible for population discrimination. Ten morphometric variables were measured. An Analysis of the sampling sites suggested a partial separation among three populations. The SIMPER analysis revealed that the total length and the head length were the main features that differed among populations. In conclusion, geographical isolation is suggested to be the main explanation for the morphological differences among A. zagrosensis specimens from different stations.