Biosystematics study of Clupeidae from the West coast of Algeria

Abstract

One of the taxonomically complex families that has not been the subject of significant research in Algeria is that of the Clupeidae, which are extremely varied in terms of both morphology and anatomy: Many uncertainties persist in their classification, in particular S. aurita and S. pilchadus. The main objective is to contribute to the systematics of the family and to the precise identification of the species of this genus targeted by fishing. An examination of faunistic notes and treatises shows a heterogeneity in the inventories carried out on clupeidae populations in the Mediterranean and leads to an extremely confused synonymy. Morphological, morphometric and geomorphometric analyses were carried out. Data were collected during regular outings from July 2014 to May 2016 in various fishing ports and sales outlets in the western region of Algeria. A sample of 520 specimens was obtained from commercial catches. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed on the biometric data. The cephalic skeleton (neurocranium and splanchnocranium) was taken into consideration. The various methods used enabled inter and intraspecific comparisons to be made. The PCA clearly separates the genera and species of scorpionfish and highlights the differences between representatives of S. aurita and S. pilchardus. This discontinuity is confirmed by morphology and geomorphology.