First Application of Morphometrics in a Study of Variations in Uncinial Shape Present within the Terebellidae (Polychaeta)

Abstract

First application of morphometrics in a study of variations in uncinial shape present within the Terebellidae (Polychaeta). Zoological Studies 45(1): 75-80. In this study, morphometric analyses of the uncinial shape were used to differentiate morphological groups within 4 Terebellidae subfamilies. Thirty species were examined, and 17 distances were measured and analyzed using non-metric multidimensional scaling (n-MDS) and cluster analysis. The results derived from both techniques were quite similar and clearly demonstrated that there are 2 different character states for the shape of the manubrium (one for the Trichobranchinae and another for the other subfamilies), and that 3 different character states define the overall uncini shape (one for Terebellinae and Thelepodinae, another for Polycirrinae, and yet another for Trichobranchinae).