ESTUDOS MORFOMÉTRICOS COM REDES DE TRELIÇAS EM POPULAÇÕES DE PHALLOCEROS CAUDIMACULATUS (HENSEL, 1986) (ACTINOPTERYGII: POECILIIDAE) DAS BACIAS COSTERIRAS DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL

Resumo

Phalloceros caudimaculatus (Hensei, 1868) is the single species of the genus. Morphometric characters obtained by the truss network methodologyn  in females of P. caudimaculatus from coastal drainages of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil were analyzed by multivariate techniques, particularly the size-free canonical variate analysis. These analyses discriminated the population of Torres from those of Lagoa dos Patos. The characters which discriminate these populations are: the oblique distance from base of  upper pectoral-fin ray to base of first dorsal-fin ray, the horizontal distance from base of last dorsal-fin ray to base of the upper caudal-fin ray, the oblique distance from base of last dorsal-fin ray to base of the lower caudal-fin ray, the oblique distance from base of last anal-fin ray to base of the upper caudal-fin ray, and the horizontal distance from base of last anal-fin ray to base of the lower caudal-fin ray. The recognition of distinct taxonomic units for these populations must be preceeded by further studies.

Keywords:  Poeciliidae,  Phalloceros caudimaculatus, morphometric characters, trussnetworks, Rio Grande do Sul.

Descritores: Poeciliidae, Phalloceros caudimaculatus, morfometria, redes de treliça, RioGrande do Sul.