Abstract
Summary Geometric morphometries are a set of recently developed techniques in the study of biological forms. In this paper these techniques are used in the characterisation of shape changes of the cranial region during growth of the Adriatic sturgeon Acipenser naccarii. Species identification in sturgeons is sometimes difficult, biased by morphological plasticity, by individual variability, complicated by human intervention and manipulation, such as aquaculture, hybridisation, pollution and shape changes during growth (allometry). Characteristic changes in head morphology during subadult growth concern the relative shortening and the lateral stretching of the entire head region. These and other observed shape changes were never previously visualised nor reported in the literature. Geometric morphometries is proposed as a good candidate to became the universal methodology in the morphometrical analysis of sturgeons.
Published Version
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