Biochemical Polymorphism in Teleosts. The eel problem

Abstract

The application of biochemical methods, such as electrophoresis, to the solution of taxonomic problems and to applied population genetics analysis in Teleost fish is discussed and some results obtained by this technique are briefly reviewed. More at length, the eel problem, the different theories on the life history of the Atlantic eels and the hypothesis of the existence of spawning areas in the Mediterranean sea, are also presented. Results obtained by the Authors with the genetic analysis of several eels samples from different localities, seem to confirm the genetic homogeneity of the European eels and the validity of Schmidt's classic theory. The possible significance of the high level of genetic variation found in A. anguilla is also discussed in relation to what is known about the peculiar life cycle of this species.