Geographical and between-habitat variations in the body shape of Hemigrammocypris rasborella.

Abstract

Between-habitat variations in the body shape of Hemigrammocypris rasborella, a small freshwater cyprinid fish included in the Red List by the Ministry of Environment of Japan (Category EN), were analyzed using photographs of anesthetized specimens (n=323) collected from eight ponds on the Ise (Mie Prefecture) and Nobi Plains (Aichi and Gifu prefectures). Twenty-two morphometric variables were measured, and principal component and discriminant analyses conducted. The results indicated that body shape was variable among the ponds but similar within each plain. It is suggested that the original Ise and Nobi Plain populations differed in body shape, the subsequent restriction to isolated populations on each plain further enhancing the original morphological variations.