Ecomorphological variation within and among the two marine species of genus Salaria: Salaria basilisca and Salaria pavo (Perciformes: Blenniidae)

In order to highlight the variation of the form due to the presence of different ecological factors, we investigated in this paper the morphological variation between and within the two marine species Salaria basilisca and S. pavo. This study was based on two approaches, the Truss network and the geometric morphometric and involved specimens of both species divided into marine and lagoon samples. The two approaches yielded complementary results showing clear morphological discrimination of the two species Thus, S. basilisca is distinguished by a higher depth and length as well as a higher head with a compressed snout compared to S. pavo which has a shortened body, a lower head and a slightly stretched snout. At an intraspecific scale, both approaches showed a discrimination of marine and lagoon samples for both species: marine samples tend to have an elongated, shallower body with a small head while lagoon samples are distinguished by a shorter, deeper body and a tall head.