title: Continuous osteological characters in the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships of the six Euro-Mediterranean mullet species (Mugilidae).
abstract: Sixty-three continuous osteological characters (18 skull continuous characters and the total length of neurocranium, 45 continuous characters of 15 elements of the viscerodermal skeleton) were analyzed and included in the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships of the six Euro-Mediterranean mullet species from the South Adriatic Sea: Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758; Liza saliens Risso, 1810; Liza aurata Risso, 1810; Liza ramada Risso, 1826; Chelon labrosus Risso, 1826 and Oedalechilus labeo Cuvier, 1829. The study reveals that Sphyraenidae was separated clearly from Mugilidae, C. labrosus and three Liza species form a common cluster (L. ramada and L. saliens being the closest), while O. labeo and M. cephalus cluster together.
authors.affiliation: Department for Biomedical Sciences, State University of Novi Pazar, Vuka Karadzica b.b., 36 300, Novi Pazar, Serbia.
authors.forename: Ivanka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Antović
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*