Situation taxinomique et comparaisons des Aloses (Pisces, Clupeidae) provenant des lacs Volvi et Vistonis (Grèce). Description d'une nouvelle sous-espèce: Alosa caspia vistonica

Abstract

The taxonomy of shads of the Greek lakes Volvi and Vistonis is discussed and a description of a new sub-species, Alosa caspia vistonica, given. The endemic species Alosa macedonica (Vinciguerra, 1921) in lake Volvi is recognized as valid after revision of the opinion that it was a sub-species of Alosa alosa. Alosa macedonica differs from A. alosa in having teeth present on the palatines and vomer, a smaller number of vertebrae (48–50 against 53–57), 106–128 gillrakers and it breeds in July–August. The new sub-species A. caspia vistonica is an endemic of Lake Vistonis. It resembles A. macedonica in having teeth on the palatines and vomer, but has 78–97 gillrakers. These two shads appear to have phylogenetic relationships with the shads of the pontocaspian basin and their presence in aquatic systems flowing into the Mediterranean adds to our knowledge of their distribution and relationships among the species of the genus Alosa.