DISTRIBUTION, MOLECULAR SYSTEMATICS AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF RAJA POLYSTIGMA AND RAJA MONTAGUI IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

Molecular genetic analyses samples of the two skate species Raja polystigma and Raja montagui from the Mediterranean and Atlantic allowed to describe their differential distribution; R. polystigma results present and abundant only in the whole Central-Western Mediterranean basin, while R. montagui is retrieved both in Mediterranean, exclusively its Westernmost area (Algerian basin) and in the Atlantic. The finding in R. polystigma of several mitochondrial haplotypes, some confined to specific areas, could indicate the possible existence of separated populations within the Mediterranean, to be confirmed by further genetic studies