[Studies on genetic variability of intermuscular bones in the carp]

The number of intermuscular bones was determined in several sibships of carp by x-ray photographs. Differences between groups were found to be highly significant and specific characteristic frequencies were found for different populations in different ponds and for progeny of crosses between populations. Comparisons of the numbers of intermuscular bones in different body segments also showed highly significant differences between populations. The number of intermuscular bones between two neural spines was determined with an x-ray television camera. Correlation coefficients for number of total intramuscular bones to number of bones between two neural spines ranged fromr = 0.1 tor = 0.6, while the correlation coefficients for the number of intermuscular spines in the terminal 8 caudal vertebrae to total number of spines ranged, with one exception, fromr = 0.6 tor = 0.9.