Patterns of Phenetic Diversity and Taxonomy of the Common Rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) from the Water Bodies of Russia and Adjacent Countries.

The phenetic diversity of the rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus (L.) from the Russian Federation and some neighboring countries has been studied using the methods of population morphology. We analyzed our own collections and literature data on the meristic characters of external morphology, axial skeleton, seismosensory system, and the pharyngeal tooth formula. Two phenetically distinct population systems were distinguished within the investigated part of the species range: the western group covering the upper and middle Volga River together with the water bodies located southwestward and westward off the Volga River basin, and the southeastern group, including the rudds from the lower Volga River, the reservoirs belonging to the Caspian Sea region, and the inland drainage basins of Kazakhstan up to the Syr Darya and Chu rivers. The number of lateral line scales, total number of vertebrae, caudal and precaudal vertebrae ratio, and the number of gill rakers are the main characters contributing to population differentiation. Strong positive relationships of the first two traits with the geographical latitude of habitats were found; first and foremost, they are due to the (sub)speciation processes in river basins, but not to the direct influence of physical factors functionally dependent on latitude. The results are not consistent with the existing concept of the rudd as a monomorphic species and call for a taxonomic revision of this species in its current status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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