On validity of species of the genus Cleisthenes (Pleuronectiformes: Pleuronectidae)

Abstract

Taxonomy status of genus Cleisthenes was revised several times from the time of its description (Jordan and Starks, 1904) to nowadays. Some species of this genus were even assigned to genus Hippoglossoides. At present, the stumbling block in taxonomy of the genus is: whether the genus is represented by two species (pointhead flounder Cleisthenes herzensteini and pinewood flounder C. pinetorum) or only one. The problem cannot be easy solved because of many contradictions in previous studies. On the base of retrospective information on taxonomy of these/this species, statistical significance for divergence of some morphological indices is identified by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov criterion of homogeneity, that prevents reduction of diversity for the forms pinetorum and herzensteini to one species. The flounders of genus Cleisthenes dwelling the waters of the Sendai Bay (Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures of Japan) are obviously C. pinetorum, whereas the rest of this genus range is inhabited by C. herzensteini.

Keywords

• cleisthenes
• <i>herzensteini</i>
• <i>pinetorum</i>
• остроголовая камбала
• систематика
• ареал
• виды
• морфология