Population of silver crucian carp Carassius auratus (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) with “golden” individuals in the pond of the city of Volgograd

Abstract

In the pond Gornaya Polyana of the city of Volgograd, the population of silver crucian carp Carassius auratus, some individuals of which have coloration similar to that of goldfish, were found. The studied “golden” individuals from this population morphologically do not differ from individuals of the same size from other populations of C. auratus that consist of typically colored individuals. Nevertheless, the total sample of C. auratus from Gornaya Polyana differs from samples of other populations of Volgograd oblast, besides the presence in it of “golden” individuals also, on average, in larger scales. The assumption is made that the population of C. auratus from Gornaya Polyana pond initially represented a naturalized goldfish. After mass dispersal of the Eurasian silver crucian carp C. auratus in the basin of the Lower Volga, hybridization between these two forms likely occurred. It is suggested that, over the territory of the former Soviet Union, several other populations of C. auratus that originated from the goldfish or have an admixture of its genes existed and exist.