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Morphological Variation and New Systematic Status of Cobitis taenia L. Complex from Croatian Rivers

Cobitis taenia subspecies from Croatia have been described since Karaman (1928). Data are mostly related to geographical distribution and subspecies are mainly mentioned in catalogues of freshwater fishes. More detailed analyses have not been made. The four Cobitis populations were described from the Danube watersheed (Drava) and the Adriatic river basin (Zrmanja, Cetina i Neretva). The last three are from geologically old rivers which have not been under the influence of ice during the Pleistocene glaciations in Europe. Large number of endemic genera and species (Holcik 1989) occur in these rivers. Former investigations of loaches indicated that "Cobitis taenia L." represents a common group which consists of several different subspecies or species. To determine the real taxonomic status Croatian loaches were analysed on the morphometrical (truss network and classical measures), the meristical (vertebral count, number of fin rays, pharingeal teeth and number of eggs) and the phenotypical features (Canestrini scale, suborbital spine, colour pattern, shape of mouth). From our results, the populations of Croatian loaches, considered as the subspecies of Cobitis taenia, should be raised to the species level.

loach; morphometry; Danube watershed; Adriatic river basin

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