Scientific publications

Intra- and interspecies affiliations between osmerids in the European North of Russia were investigated by allozyme electrophoresis of 11 samples from natural populations of the European smelt, Osmerus eperlanus and the rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax dentex, inhabiting the Baltic, White and Barents Sea watersheds. The slight genetic differentiation of populations within each of the two species indicates the postglacial immigration of the rainbow smelt into the Barents and White Sea watersheds, as well as a imultaneous onset of the European smelt differentiation into anadromous and land-locked ecotypes. It is demonstrated that in some areas at least (Pechora river delta), the rainbow and European smelt may be sympatric. The low intrapopulation genetic variability of the European smelt in Lake Beloye and River Luga is due to significant fluctuations of the abundance of the former and the recent formation of the latter population. It appears that there is no ground to divide the rainbow smelt into the normal and dwarf forms, like it is done for the European smelt. Despite the morphological similarity between Osmerus eperlanus and Osmerus mordax dentex, the degree of genetic divergence between the smelt species in question confirms the thesis that the two taxa had differentiated millions of years ago.