MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATIONS AND SPECIES VALIDITY OF ERIOCHEIR SINENSISIN THE NORTH AND SOUTH DRAINAGE SYSTEMS OF CHINA

Sixty specimens of Chinese mitten crab(Eriocheir sinensis) from north and south drainage systems were collected to measure 54 morphometric characters using traditional tax-onomic methods.Data on the morphometric characters were analyzed by using principal com-ponent analysis in order to discuss the morphological variation and species validity of the characters.The populations of the north and south drainage systems were divided into two independent groups by the first two principal components.The t-test showed that there were extremely significant differences(P0.01) between the two groups in the 25 out of 54 mor-phometric characters,and significant differences(0.01P0.05) between the two groups in the 5 out of 54 morphometric characters.The morphometric variations that explained principal component and described the morphometric divergence were extremely significant differences(P0.01) between the two groups.The phenomenae of geographical segregation in Chinese mitten crab was existed in the north and south drainage systems(Liaohe River and Oujiang River).