The Open Marine Biology Journal

2009, 3 : 59-69
Published online 2009 April 23. DOI: 10.2174/1874450800903010059
Publisher ID: TOMBJ-3-59

Some Marine Tunisian Atherina boyeri Populations (Teleostei) have Morphological and Molecular Characteristics of Lagoon Fishes

Monia Trabelsia , Nawzet Bourigata , Didier Aurellec , Jean-Pierre Quignardd , Roxane Barthelemy and Eric Faure
LATP, CNRS-UMR 6632, Evolution biologique et modélisation, case 5, Université de Provence, Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille cedex 3, France.

ABSTRACT

In this study, analyses of 87 biometric parameters and of genetic variation of the cytochrome b gene show that A. boyeri populations from shallow waters of Tunisian Islands (Kerkennah) belong, in spite their marine habitat, to the lagoonal group. Moreover, in all the phylogenetic analyses, the sequences of these marine atherines constitute with the lagoon ones a clade strongly statistically supported. Moreover, in accordance with ecological rules, vertebral numbers of wild individuals increased with latitude for all the Atherina species, but for A. boyeri a low decrease of vertebral number in its more septentrional distribution area is suggested. In addition, the lower values are found for species living in particular habitats, rocky sea beds or lagoons for respectively punctated and lagoonal fish, and a rapid decrease of mean vertebral number by latitude has been found for lagoon fish.

Keywords:

Atherina, Mediterranean Sea, Tunisian islands.