Variation in bilateral asymmetry of the Lusitanian toadfish along the Portuguese coast

Abstract

Summary Three types of bilateral asymmetry [antisymmetry (AS), directional asymmetry (DA) and fluctuating asymmetry (FA)] have long been recognized in the literature. It is often assumed that DA and AS have a larger genetic basis than FA, which therefore provides a measure of developmental stability. To examine changes in bilateral asymmetry of the Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), collected in 10 localities along the Portuguese coast, the distribution of left–right values of three external and two internal morphometric variables and one meristic variable were evaluated for normality and deviations of the mean to 0; kurtosis and skewness were also determined. AS was found for the majority of variables in all locations, although DA was also very frequent. FA was observed in only four locations for three variables. A general pattern of negative and low Spearman correlations between asymmetry levels and concentrations of heavy metals and pollutants and mean heterozygosity was found. However, exceptions to this pattern indicate that different asymmetry types can occur across the distribution range in a single trait and that the three types of asymmetry are dynamically interrelated, the shifts from FA to the other two types possibly being due to environmental stress.