BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2016, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 159-161

On the status and identity of the white char, Salvelinus albus Glubokovsky, 1977, from different habitats

© 2016 L. A. Zhivotovsky^1,2, E. G. Shaikhaev^1,3, S. D. Pavlov⁴, E. A. Pivovarov⁴

¹N.I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991;
²All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, Moscow 107140;
³Russian Scientific Center of Roentgen Radiology, Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, Moscow 117997;
⁴Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119234

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The white char, Salvelinus albus Glubokovsky, 1977, originally described from the Kamchatka River basin, and the white char from Lake Kronotsky, Kamchatka Peninsula, are believed to be identical taxonomically and represent two reproductively isolated populations of the same species. However, the data on their molecular divergence show that they may differ at a higher, probably sub-species, level. This suggests the necessity of deeper, complex studies of white char and other closely related char species and forms.

Key words: white char, Kamchatka River, Lake Kronotsky, taxonomic status, DNA marker.