| Virginia
Journal of Science.
2003. Vol 54 (3 & 4) : 169-203 |
| Identification
Key to Fishes in Fresh Waters of Greece Eugene G. Maurakis1,2 and Panos S. Economidis3, 1Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220 USA, 2University of Richmond, Virginia 23173 USA, 379 Karakasi St., GR-544 53 Thessaloniki, Greece ABSTRACT
The European Environmental Agency formulated a biodiversity initiative
in 1996 specifying a freshwater stream-monitoring program to inventory,
identify and describe aquatic and terrestrial species in European Union
countries. With one of the richest freshwater ichthyofaunas in Europe
(126 fish taxa: 97 species and 29 subspecies of primary or secondary
freshwater fishes), Greece has two extinct fish species, five listed as
critically endangered, and 29 considered endangered and/or
vulnerable. There are, however, no published identification
guides that are available for identifying fish specimens from fresh
waters in Greece. We present an English translation of the only
available identification key (in Greek) to 97 fish species (20
families) in fresh waters of Greece. Our intent is to create an
illustrated identification guide in the future as new species are
identified and ranges of all lotic and lentic species are
clarified. In the interim, we believe that the current guide can
be used effectively in the field to reduce the number of voucher
specimens required to authenticate inventories of the freshwater
ichthyofauna of Greece as repeated heavy sampling has the potential to
decimate local populations that are already vulnerable.Keywords: Identification key, freshwater fishes, Greece |