OK Guys,
I know a lot of you probably don't care about taxonomy, so I apologize to you in advance for cluttering the board with this question, but...can anyone tell me what the reasoning was or what the anatomical characteristics were that led to creation of the Atractosteus genus, splitting them from the genus Lepisosteus? It seems the taxonomy has been stable for quite some time, so there must be some solid reasons for having done this, I just don't know what they are.
I know that with many animals, the taxonomy is in a constant state of flux, with new genera being erected every few years, and even family assignments changing as new data becomes available. I personally knew one fellow who did a complete revision of a family, but re-revised his revision a couple of years later after taking into account which species hybridized readily with other species. He had elevated a number of subgenera to full generic status, but had to juggle the genera/subgenera to account for the interbreeding (maybe they were "crossbreeds" and not true hybrids, since some of them were fertile). When I look at the gar species interbreeding, it brings to mind a couple of related questions. Can the offspring of hybrids/crossbreeds in the genus Lepisosteus reproduce? What about the very similar species, such as a Spotted Gar crossed with a Florida Gar? Florida with a Shortnose? How readily do these species interbreed?
If they interbreed easily, do they maintain their identity by spawning under different conditions or at different times, when they inhabit the same water bodies?
I guess the main question I have is this: if Atractosteus species interbreed fairly readily with Lepisosteus species (and they apparently do, as I've personally watched male Alligator Gar swimming with female Longnose Gar, female squirting eggs, male squirting milt, numerous times, and seen the resulting "Croc Hybrids" in the same area), isn't that a pretty good indication that they might belong in the same genus? I know that trans-generic hybridization occurs in nature, but it is very rare, and at least some of the cases involve animals that could or should be, arguably, assigned to the same genus. It seems that this isn't an isolated case of just the right sperm fertilizing just the right egg to produce a hybrid, but a case where you could take a bucket of L. osseus eggs, stir them up with milt from A. spatula, and end up with a cloud of baby "Crocs?"
I'm sure someone has already thought this over and worked it out, but I'm ignorant and haven't really found anything on the internet to satisfy my curiosity about the assignment of the true gar genera. Any enlightenment you gentlemen and ladies can provide, or thoughts on the subject, would be much appreciated.
Thanks, and Cheers,
Don
(PagoJoe)
I know a lot of you probably don't care about taxonomy, so I apologize to you in advance for cluttering the board with this question, but...can anyone tell me what the reasoning was or what the anatomical characteristics were that led to creation of the Atractosteus genus, splitting them from the genus Lepisosteus? It seems the taxonomy has been stable for quite some time, so there must be some solid reasons for having done this, I just don't know what they are.
I know that with many animals, the taxonomy is in a constant state of flux, with new genera being erected every few years, and even family assignments changing as new data becomes available. I personally knew one fellow who did a complete revision of a family, but re-revised his revision a couple of years later after taking into account which species hybridized readily with other species. He had elevated a number of subgenera to full generic status, but had to juggle the genera/subgenera to account for the interbreeding (maybe they were "crossbreeds" and not true hybrids, since some of them were fertile). When I look at the gar species interbreeding, it brings to mind a couple of related questions. Can the offspring of hybrids/crossbreeds in the genus Lepisosteus reproduce? What about the very similar species, such as a Spotted Gar crossed with a Florida Gar? Florida with a Shortnose? How readily do these species interbreed?
If they interbreed easily, do they maintain their identity by spawning under different conditions or at different times, when they inhabit the same water bodies?
I guess the main question I have is this: if Atractosteus species interbreed fairly readily with Lepisosteus species (and they apparently do, as I've personally watched male Alligator Gar swimming with female Longnose Gar, female squirting eggs, male squirting milt, numerous times, and seen the resulting "Croc Hybrids" in the same area), isn't that a pretty good indication that they might belong in the same genus? I know that trans-generic hybridization occurs in nature, but it is very rare, and at least some of the cases involve animals that could or should be, arguably, assigned to the same genus. It seems that this isn't an isolated case of just the right sperm fertilizing just the right egg to produce a hybrid, but a case where you could take a bucket of L. osseus eggs, stir them up with milt from A. spatula, and end up with a cloud of baby "Crocs?"
I'm sure someone has already thought this over and worked it out, but I'm ignorant and haven't really found anything on the internet to satisfy my curiosity about the assignment of the true gar genera. Any enlightenment you gentlemen and ladies can provide, or thoughts on the subject, would be much appreciated.
Thanks, and Cheers,
Don
(PagoJoe)
