Comparison of meristic traits in Transcaucasian chub (Squalius turcicus De Filippi, 1865) from Caspian Sea basin

For comparison of meristic characters of Squalius turcicus, in 12 rivers of Caspian Sea basin, 535 specimens were captured. Some 14 meristic characters were counted. Classification of meristic characters showed that most specimens of all populations have 8 soft dorsal rays, 9 soft anal rays, 19 branched caudal fin rays, 15 soft pectoral rays, 9 soft pelvic rays, 41-47 lateral line scales, 7-9 scales above LL, 3-5 scales below LL, 18-21 predorsal scales and 14-16 circumpeduncle scales. The results showed significant differences (P<0.05) in means of all meristic characters except dorsal, pelvic and pectoral fin spins between the populations. The PCA and CVA showed overlapping among the populations, although some populations were separated from the others. Also, cluster analysis divided Divandareh River population in a separate group and it was distinct from other populations. Generally, the results of meristic characters cannot well-separate the populations of this species from each other.