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Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, vol.11, no.2, pp.315-321, 2011 (SCI-Expanded)
Systematic relationships among four genera and nine species (Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758, Mugil soiuy Basilewsky, 1855, Liza ramada (Risso, 1827), Liza aurata (Risso, 1810), Liza abu (Heckel, 1843), Liza saliens (Risso, 1810), Liza carinata (Valenciennes, 1836), Chelon labrosus (Risso, 1827), Oedalechilus labeo (Cuvier, 1829)) of the Mugilidae family living in the Mediterranean Sea were investigated using morphological characters. Hierarchical cluster analyses of morphometric data were not concordant with the meristic data. Meristic characters in the present study were more discriminative than morphometric characters in terms of taxonomic classification of the mullets. According to based on meristic data UPGMA tree, all nine species were grouped in two main branching. In the first branch, C. labrosus and O. labeo were clustered as closest taxa, and being the sister group to the L. aurata. The other four Liza species produced two sub-branching in this group; L. carinata was branched with L. saliens, and L. ramada. In the second branch two species, M. cephalus and M. soiuy of Mugil genera were clustered together and highly isolated from the other three genera. At the same time, in the present study for the first time the systematic position of M. soiuy and L. abu among other mullet species was investigated. © Published by Central Fisheries Research Institute (CFRI) Trabzon, Turkey.