Intraspecific variation in the external morphology of the sand skate
2002; Wiley; Volume: 61; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb01855.x
ISSN1095-8649
AutoresJ. Matías Braccini, Gustavo Enrique Chiaramonte,
Tópico(s)Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
ResumoIn male sand skate Psammobatis extenta , from the commercial fishery of Puerto Quequén, Argentina, six of 13 proportional dimensions analysed were constant (isometric) with total length, while seven proportions remained constant in females. The nature of the allometric and isometric relationships of disc length, disc width, interspiracular distance and interorbital distance did not vary between the sexes, and no sexual dimorphism occurred between these morphometric dimensions. A stepwise discriminant function analysis separated the sexes and was able to correctly classify 90·8% of the original grouped cases. The variables that best discriminated between sexes were prenasal length, distance from the cloaca to caudal fin tip, and distance from the snout to cloaca. The study also revealed that several of the meristic characters studied showed much intraspecific variation and, therefore, should be used with caution in taxonomic studies.
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