Molecular-genetic analysis of sunbleak ( Leucaspius delineatus (Heckel, 1843)) in water bodies of the Komi Republic

Sunbleak - Leucaspius delineatus (Heckel, 1843) is non-commercial fish species with extremely low amount of data in the Komi Republic territory. The new findings of sunbleak in several ponds and streams in the middle course of the Pechora river allowed to expand the area of the species to the northeast. Populations of sunbleak were found in two reservoirs located near the Pechora state district power station: in the reservoir-cooler and in the floodplain lake located 14 km downstream. The reservoir-cooler of the Pechora state district power station was used for commercial fish production from 1987 till 1998. As a result of non-intentional introduction carp and bleak were naturalized in the water basin. It was hypothesized that sunbleak, as well as the specified kinds, can have non-native origin. For this purpose we studied morphological and DNA markers in three sunbleak populations: two populations from the above reservoirs and one population form Nyuvchim water basin (basin of the Vichegda river).The morphological markers (the number of vertebrae, the transverse rows of scales number, the number of lateral line scales) evidence in favor of long period of habitation of sunbleak populations in the Pechora river basin. The analysis of sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene testifies to the common origin of all three studied sunbleak populations. The analysis of AFLP markers showed genetic differences between three studied populations and the isolation by distance phenomenon was approved. The reservoir-cooler population had the highest polymorphism level.The results obtained in this study do not support the origin of sunbleak in the Pechora river basin as a result of unintentional introduction and are consistent with hypothesis of close connection of the Vichegda and Pechora rivers basins in the past.