Morphological Comparison between Chinese Ayu and Japanese Ayu and Establishment of Plecoglossus altivelis chinensis Wu ＆ Shan subsp, nov.

The countable characters of Qingdao, Zhejiang, Liaoning and Japanese Ayu are compared. There are no substantial different characters among the former three Ayu, so the comprehensive values of them are taken as representative of Chinese Ayu, which is in turn compared with Japanese Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis and Plecoglossus altivelis ryukyuensis). By the coefficient of difference test, 3 and 4 characters are found to be beyond the subspecies level between Chinese Ayu and nominate subspecies (Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis ) and between Chinese Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis chinensis) and Ryukyus subspecies (Plecoglossus altivelis ryukyuensis), respectively, which shows that they belong to different subspecies. The China mainland Ayu is a new subspecies, Plecoglossus altivelis chinensis Wu & Shan, the establishment of which and its forming causes are discussed.