Variabilité génétique et morphologique de cinq populations de l'écrevisse européenne Austropotamobius pallipes (Lereboullet 1858) (Crustacea, Decapoda)

Abstract

Genetic and morphometric variability was compared for five populations of the European crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes. The good agreement of results leads to a pattern of differentiation consistent with the geographical distribution of the samples. The analysis of enzymatic polymorphism, using electrophoretic techniques on starch gel, shows a very small heterozygosity level. The genetic distance, established from allelic frequencies of 18 loci, distinguishes the populations of Haute-Saône and Ireland from a southern population group (Hérault, Gard, Haute-Corse). The examination of eight meristic and morphometric variables and the calculation of the coefficients of racial likeness also point out this highly distinctive southern group. The results of the discriminant analysis show that four of these variables could be used in a more complete study of the populations of Austropotamobius pallipes.