Large African Barbs with Hypertrophied Lips and their Relationship with Generalized Forms of Species of the Genus Barbus (Labeobarbus auctorum)

Abstract

Geographical variation in the large African barbs with hypertrophied lips (morphotype LIP) and in the individuals of the generalized form (GF) is studied in the water bodies of Ethiopia. The analysis of phenetic relationships for the samples of the Barbus intermedius complex and the species B. gananensis shows that, in the majority of cases, the samples of LIP are closer to the samples of GF from the same water body than to the samples of LIP from other localities. Thus, in the majority of localities (or in all localities), the morphotype LIP is most likely a derivative of the sympatric generalized form. The similarity of LIP individuals from different localities in lips structure and shapes of the dentary and premaxilla should be considered as a homoplasy.