Age and growth of the Mesopotamian barb, Capoeta damascina, in central Iran

Age and growth of Mesopotamian barb, Capoeta damascina, were studied in the Zayandehrud River, in central Iran, from March 2007 to April 2008. Among the 689 specimens studied, age groups in males ranged from 1+ to 9+ and that in females ranged from 1+ to 10+. The sex ratio (1 M: 1.6 F) was not significantly different from 1:1 ratio. Maximum fork length and weight was 39 cm and 1.115 g for males and 54.2 cm and 2.340 g for females. In all age classes, females were larger than males. The most frequent age groups were 3+ in males and 4+ in females. The highest value for condition factor was observed in June. The growth of C. damascina was described by von Bertalanffy growth curve as k=0.01, L_∞=56.2 cm, t_0=-0.63 for males and k = 0.05, L_∞=117.1 cm and t_0= -0.43 years for females. The length-weigh relationship was described as W=0.0169L^2.95 (r^2 =0.98) for males and as W=0.0155L2.99 (r^2 =0.99) for females, indicating an isometric growth pattern in both sexes. Growth performance index φ` was estimated as 5.73 for males and 6.53 for females, indicating a faster growth rate in females

A phylogenomic perspective on diversity, hybridization and evolutionary affinities in the stickleback genus Pungitius

Hybridization and convergent evolution are phenomena of broad interest in evolutionary biology, but their occurrence poses challenges for reconstructing evolutionary affinities among affected taxa. Sticklebacks in the genus Pungitius are a case in point: evolutionary relationships and taxonomic validity of different species and populations in this circumpolarly distributed species complex remain contentious due to convergent evolution of traits regarded as diagnostic in their taxonomy, and possibly also due to frequent hybridization among taxa. To clarify the evolutionary relationships among different Pungitius species and populations globally, as well as to study the prevalence and extent of introgression among recognized species, genomic data sets of both reference genome-anchored single nucleotide polymorphisms and de novo assembled RAD-tag loci were constructed with RAD-seq data. Both data sets yielded topologically identical and well-supported species trees. Incongruence between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA-based trees was found and suggested possibly frequent hybridization and mitogenome capture during the evolution of Pungitius sticklebacks. Further analyses revealed evidence for frequent nuclear genetic introgression among Pungitius species, although the estimated proportions of autosomal introgression were low. Apart from providing evidence for frequent hybridization, the results challenge earlier mitochondrial and morphology-based hypotheses regarding the number of species and their affinities in this genus: at least seven extant species can be recognized on the basis of genetic data. The results also shed new light on the biogeographical history of the Pungitius-complex, including suggestion of several trans-Arctic invasions of Europe from the Northern Pacific. The well-resolved phylogeny should facilitate the utility of this genus as a model system for future comparative evolutionary studies.Peer reviewe