Describing shell shape variations and sexual dimorphism of Golden Apple Snail, Pomacea caniculata (Lamarck, 1822) using geometric morphometric analysis

• Main Authors: C.C. Cabuga, R.P. Sularte, M.C.O. Acob, et al.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences 2017-09-01
• Series: Computational Ecology and Software
• Subjects: invasive species; phenotypic variations; relative wrap analysis; Lake Dakong Napo
• Online Access: http://www.iaees.org/publications/journals/ces/articles/2017-7(3)/shell-shape-variations-and-sexual-dimorphism-of-Snail.pdf

Pomacea caniculata or Golden Apple Snail (GAS) existed to be a rice pest in the Philippines and in Asia. Likewise, geographic location also contributes its increasing populations thus making it invasive among freshwater habitats and rice field areas. This study was conducted in order to describe shell shape variations and sexual dimorphism among the populations of P. caniculata. A total of 180 were randomly collected in the three lakes of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur (Lake Dakong Napo, Lake Oro, and Lake Cebulan), of which each lake comprised of 60 samples (30 males and 30 females). To determine the variations and sexual dimorphism in the shell shape of golden apple snail, coordinates was administered to relative warp analysis and the resulting data were subjected to Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA). The results show statistically significant (P<0.05) from the appended male and female dorsal and ventral/apertural portion. While male and female spire height, body size, and shell shape opening also shows significant variations. These phenotypic distinctions could be associated with geographic isolation, predation and nutrient component of the gastropods. Thus, the importance of using geometric morphometric advances in describing sexual dimorphism in the shell shape of P. caniculata.