Problems of Species Identity in the Lake Ontario Seulpins Cottus bairdi and C. cognatus
- 1 October 1982
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Canadian Science Publishing in Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
- Vol. 39 (10) , 1373-1382
- https://doi.org/10.1139/f82-185
Abstract
The sculpins Cottus bairdi and C. cognatus are difficult to distinguish in Lake Ontario because intermediate specimens are present and because C. bairdi in the lake is more variable than C. bairdi from the surrounding drainage basin. Our evidence indicates that intermediates are probably the products of hybridization between C. bairdi and C. cognatus. The greater variability of C. bairdi in Lake Ontario may be due to subspecies differences, but we suggest that backcrossing of C. bairdi with hybrids would also account for this phenomenon.Key words: sculpin, Lake Ontario, taxonomy, hybridizationThis publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: