GENETIC PROTEIN VARIATION IN RED MULLET (MULLUS-BARBATUS) AND STRIPEDRED MULLET (MULLUS-SURMULETUS) POPULATIONS FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Starch-gel electrophoresis of allozymes was used to differentiate the two red mullet species (Mullus barbatus L. and ill. surmuletus L.) in the Mediterranean Sea and, further, to investigate the genetic stock s tructure of M. barbatus in the eastern Mediterranean area. Twenty puta tive enzyme-coding loci were examined in eight M. barbatus samples cau ght in the Aegean and Ionian Seas (Greece) and in the Gulf of Lion (Fr ance), and two M. surmuletus samples caught in the Aegean and Gulf of Lion. A high degree of genetic polymorphism was found in both species. Species-specific electrophoretic patterns were found in PGI and PGM* . Estimates of variance of allele frequencies among samples (F-ST) and chi(2) analyses both revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) amon g the hi. barbatus samples. Mast of the genetic variation was among sa mples regardless of region. The mean value of Nei's genetic distance b etween the two species was 0.329. Genetic distance among M. barbatus s amples was low (maximum Nei's D = 0.012), with the sample from Platani a differing most from other M. barbatus samples. This is probably be d ue to founder effects existing at this area. These results suggest tha t allozyme analysis may provide important information on the genetic s tructure of the red mullet to ensure sustainable management of this sp ecies.