Morphological comparison of western and eastern populations of Caspian kutum, Rutilus kutum (Kamensky, 1901) (Cyprinidae) in the southern Caspian Sea

Morphological variation Length-weight relationship Condition factor Stock.

Authors

  • Masoud Sattari Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran.
  • Javid Imanpour Namin Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran.
  • Mehdi Bibak Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran.
  • Mohammad Forouhar Vajargah Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran.
  • Aliakbar Hedayati Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.
  • Arash Khosravi Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran.
  • Mohammad Hossein Mazareiy Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Guilan, Sowmeh Sara, Iran.
January 2, 2019

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This study aimed to investigate morphological differences of western and eastern populations of Caspian kutum Rutilus kutum in the southern Caspian Sea and its providing length-weight relationships and condition factor (CF). A 13-landmark based morphometric truss network system was used to investigate the hypothesis of population fragmentation of western and eastern populations of this species. The studied populations were differentmorphologically based on pre anal, body height, distance from pectoral fin to ventral fin, distance from pectoral fin to anal fin, caudal peduncle length, head length, pre orbital, pre ventral, and dorsal length. The results also revealed a negative allometry (b<3) of length-weight relationships for both sexes. Maximum condition factors was found in March. The results suggest distinct stocks in the western and eastern of Caspian Sea for fisheries management.