CAHIERS DE BIOLOGIE MARINE, no.3, pp.227-239, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
This study aims to reveal the morphometric and genetic variations of the four presumed taxa within the gobies; rocky goby ( Gobius paganellus Linnaeus, 1758), black goby (G. niger Linnaeus, 1758), knout goby ( Mesogobius batrachocephalus (Pallas, 1814)) and round goby ( Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814)). The specimens were collected along the Turkish coast of the Eastern Black Sea Region, and conventional morphometric characters were measured on 302 fish specimens. Intraspecific variations of morphological characters relative to body size [total length (TL)] were measured for each species. The multivariate (PCA) and univariate (ANOVA) analyses showed that G. paganellus and G. niger have coinciding characteristics, whereas M. batrachocephalus was clearly morphometrically different. N. melanostomus is separated from the other species by the highest body depth and caudal peduncle depth. The first two principal components (PC1, PC2) explained 92.9% of the variation between the species. Four goby species were genetically identified and characterized based on 16S rRNA and COI gene sequences. Reference COI sequences of G. paganellus and G. niger from the Black Sea were generated and deposited GenBank for the first time. In addition, 16S rRNA sequences of G. niger, G. paganellus, M. batrachocephalus, and N. melanostomus have been published for the first time for the Black Sea populations of these species. Despite morphological similarities observed between G. paganellus and G. niger, 16S rRNA and COI revealed notable genetic divergence close to that observed between genera. de la mer Noire, et les caract & egrave;res morphom & eacute;triques conventionnels ont & eacute;t & eacute; mesur & eacute;s sur 302 sp & eacute;cimens. Les variations intrasp & eacute;cifiques des caract & egrave;res morphologiques par rapport & agrave; la taille du corps [longueurtotale (LT)] ont & eacute;t & eacute; mesur & eacute;es pour chaque esp & egrave;ce. Les analyses multivari & eacute;es (ACP) et univari & eacute;es (ANOVA) ont montr & eacute; que G. paganellus et G. nigeront des caract & eacute;ristiques communes, alors que M. batrachocephalus est clairement diff & eacute;rent sur le plan morphom & eacute;trique. N. melanostomus est s & eacute;par & eacute; des autres esp & egrave;ces par la plus grande profondeur du corps et du p & eacute;doncule caudal. Les deux premi & egrave;res composantes principales (PC1, PC2) expliquent 92,9% de la variation entre les esp & egrave;ces. Les quatre esp & egrave;ces de gobies ont & eacute;t & eacute; g & eacute;n & eacute;tiquement identifi & eacute;es et caract & eacute;ris & eacute;es sur la base des s & eacute;quences des g & egrave;nes 16S rRNA et COI. Des s & eacute;quences COI de r & eacute;f & eacute;rence de G. paganellus et G. nigerde la mer Noire ont & eacute;t & eacute; g & eacute;n & eacute;r & eacute;es et d & eacute;pos & eacute;es pour la premi & egrave;re fois dans GenBank. En outre, les s & eacute;quences d'ARNr 16S de G. niger, G. paganellus, M. batrachocephalus et N. melanostomus ont & eacute;t & eacute; publi & eacute;es pour la premi & egrave;re fois pour les populations de la mer Noire de ces esp & egrave;ces. Malgr & eacute; les similitudes morphologiques observ & eacute;es entre G. paganellus et G. niger, l'ARNr 16S et le COI ont r & eacute;v & eacute;l & eacute; une divergence g & eacute;n & eacute;tique notable de l'ordre de celle attendue entre genres.