Morphological and behavioral variation of Rasbora paviei (Cyprinidae, Cypriniformes) from lotic and limnic habitats (Central Vietnam)

Morphological and behavioral traits of Rasbora paviei from river and lake environments are studied. For investigations, the fish were caught from the middle reaches of the Cai River and from the inshore zone of the Kam Lam Reservoir (Khanh Hoa Province, Central Vietnam). Phenotypic differences are found in river and lake fish groups. Experimentally, differences in tactics and efficiency of defensive behavior are found in specimens from different habitats in the presence of a predator— Lepisosteus sp. (Lepisosteidae). In river specimens of Rasbora , the defensive reaction is more efficient in comparison with specimens from the reservoir. The river specimens of Rasbora used predominantly the tactics of group defense from the predator and stayed in a school longer than the lake specimens.