Abstract
The ontogenetic body shape changes in the white piranha, Serrasalmus brandti , were analyzed with geometric morphometrics techniques. The Cartesian coordinates of 16 anatomical landmarks were obtained from the external morphology of 133 specimens collected in 11 localities along the Sao Francisco River basin. The Procrustes-aligned landmark coordinates were used to construct shape variables. A multivariate regression of the shape variables on centroid size was determined to test the hypothesis of significant shape changes along ontogeny. The analysis showed statistically significant differences in shape with size (Goodall’s generalized test F[28, 3668] = 2.0175, p = 0.001), indicating that body shape in this species is not ontogenetically stable. Most of the ontogenetic shape changed observed in S. brandti occur in the anterior region of the body, and can be described by an increase in head length and a decrease in body depth in the larger specimens.
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