Phenotypic Plasticity of Rutilus Prespensis (Karaman, S., 1924) From Lake Prespa and Lake Skadar

Abstract

SUMMARYThe phenotypic plasticity of Rutilus prespensis from Lake Prespa and Lake Skadar was evaluated based on 20 morphometric measurements. Analysis of variance and covariance showed that seven morphometric characters were different between populations: maximum body height, head length, horizontal eye diameter, interorbital distance, predorsal distance, dorsal fin height and anal fin length. These seven characters did not show any overlap in size between examined populations, which indicated significant differences between populations in these characters. The present study examines the allometric growth pattern of a number of morphometric characters of R. prespensis. The aim of this study was to examine variability in external morphology of R. prespensis populations from Lake Prespa and Lake Skadar.