Comparative electrophoretic studies of muscle and eye lens proteins in freshwater fish of Iraq

Muscle myogens and eye lens proteins have been studied in ten species of freshwater fish from Iraq. The electrophoretic analysis revealed that the muscle myogens can be considered as a good taxonomic criterion to differentiate the family Mugilidae from the Cyprinodontidae and Cyprinidae, but not between the families Poeciliidae and Cyprinodontidae. Within the Cyprinidae the muscle myogens can be used to diferentiate Barbus grypus from the remaining species of this family. Eye lens proteins are not considered a good taxonomic criterion to differentiate the members of the four families studied, but can distinguish B. belawayei and B. grypus from the other Cyprinid species.