A STUDY OF THE SYSTEMATICS OF CYPRINID FISHES BY 2-DIMENSIONAL GEL-ELECTROPHORESIS

This study was carried out to shed light on confused subfamilial group ings in the Cyprinidae from the biochemical viewpoint at the molecular level, specifically by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of l iver proteins. Six pairs of cypriniform fishes, which are different fr om one another at familial, subfamilial, generic, specific, subspecifi c, and individual levels, were compared. The genetic distances between pairs of fishes increased as taxonomic ranks of the pairs became high er, confirming the reliable usefulness of this technique. Four species representing the different subfamilies, Cyprininae, Gobioninae, Achei lognathinae, and Leuciscinae, were compared to give new insight into r elationships at the subfamilial level. Cyprinus carpio (Cyprininae) an d Pseudogobio esocinus esocinus (Gobioninae) gave the smallest genetic distance and the largest values were obtained between either one of t he above species and Acheilognathus melanogaster (Acheilognathinae), s uggesting that the former two subfamilies compose the most closely rel ated group that is in turn distantly related to Acheilognathinae. Trib olodon hakonensis (Leuciscinae) had almost equal genetic distances to the three other species.