Color patterns of the thornback skate, Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758, from the Sea of Marmara suggesting possible misidentifications of several rajids in the region
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Abstract
Trawl surveys conducted in shelf waters of the northeastern Sea of Marmara revealed for the first time the occurrence of atypically colored thornback skates, Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758 (Rajiformes: Rajidae), in the region. Since atypical coloring may lead to confusion and misidentification of R. clavata, an integrated approach of conventional alpha taxonomy and genetic studies is needed to resolve the taxonomic status of Raja species occurring in the Sea of Marmara. Accurate taxonomic resolution is the first step to properly differentiate the populations of the aforementioned species prior to performing further study and effective conservation.
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References
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