Genetic variation of the mtDNA cyt b locus in topmouth gudgeon introduced into water bodies in the northern part of the Black Sea region

Abstract

The up-to-date phylogeographical distribution of the topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva Temminck et Schlegel 1846 in water bodies of the Northern Black Sea region is considered. Genetic variation of mtDNA cyt b gene is analyzed. It is established that topmouth gudgeon penetrated and spread in the basins of the Dnieper and Don rivers and in water bodies of Crimea from the secondary center of its dispersion— water bodies of Central Europe. It is demonstrated that haplotypes of topmouth gudgeon in the Danube delta are the most homologous to the haplotypes in the native range of the species in China. A considerable decrease in the level of genetic variation in the populations in the Black Sea region is reported.