Morphometric features of the Acipenser baerii × Huso huso hybrid against the background of the original (parent) species

Abstract

Despite the rapid development of molecular genetic methods, the use of traditional morphometry for the identification of sturgeon hybrids, which has an obvious advantage when working in field or production conditions, does not lose its significance. The hybrid Acipenser baerii × Huso huso (Lenbel), which is promising for commercial cultivation, is completely insufficiently studied in this regard. The purpose of the work was to make a comparative morphometric analysis of the hybrid and parental species, as well as to determine its identifying features.Experimental and control groups of fish were obtained from producers grown on the farm. It has been established that the hybrid, according to most indicators, occupies an intermediate position between the Siberian sturgeon and the beluga. The difference with the parental species is statistically significant for 32 characters. The hybrid differs from the beluga in 23 plastic indicators out of 30, and in 4 out of 6 meristic indicators; from the Siberian sturgeon — in 18 of 33 plastic characters, and in 5 of 6 meristic ones. At the same time, the hybrid differs from both parents in 14 plastic and 4 meristic characters. In hybrids, the matroclinic effect is significantly manifested: the transgression rate with Siberian sturgeon below 67% was noted only for the width of the snout at the base of the middle pair of antennae (29.2%) and for the width of the gap of the lower lip (21.2%). The main indicators that are promising as test characters for hybrid identification are concentrated mainly in measurements of the head (O, HC, rc, rr, SRc SRr) and mouth (SO, il).