TAXONOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHUB Leuciscus cephalus (L i n n a e u s , 1758) FROM THE RIVER BABUNA (MACEDONIA)

Systematic characteristics of chub L. cephalus are given by an analysis of eight meristic (on 550 specimen) and 23 plastic characteristics (on 588 specimen), of both genders including the nonmature examples from the river of Babuna, right tributary stream of the Vardar river (Aegean sea riverbasin).The measurements were carried out according to the Pravdina scheme.The results were compared with the data of former researches of the material from the same river basin, the main river of Vardar or its major tributary streams, as well as on different materials belonging to various populations living in various biotops: small brooks, big lowlands rivers; in still biotops of both types, oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes; and finally in accumulation lakes.The author faced great difficulties while unifying and comparing the plastic characteristics of chub from various biotops, mainly because of lack of complete data made by various authors.The author claims that making a diagnosis regarding the belonging of chub on the level of subspecies only by a morphometric analysis is tricky since such results, when isolated from other systematic criteria such as the zoogeographic, citogenetic, biochemical ones and so on, can have a dubious scientific value.