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Sexual dimorphism and allometry of external morphology in Oreochromis mossambicus
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Orientador(es)
Resumo(s)
Sexual dimorphism in growth of conventional morphometric characters was investigated in
juveniles and young adults (size range: 31 to 91 mm) of Oreochromis mossambicus. A closely
associated set of traits was identified that shows sexually dimorphic growth, which was
positively allometric in the males. These traits correspond to two different morphological
complexes: jaw structure and anal/dorsal fins. The best sex discriminators among this set of
traits were premaxilla width, anal fin height and snout length. These findings may be explained
in terms of intra- and inter-sexual selection acting together and favouring males with strong and
large mouths and high dorsal and anal fins, traits that are important in agonistic displays (jaw
and fins), fighting and nest digging (jaw).
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Sexual dimorphism Growth allometry Cichlid biology Sexual selection
Contexto Educativo
Citação
Journal of Fish Biology, 46 (6), 1055-1064