Open AccessSexual dimorphism of invasive knifefish (Chitala ornata) in Laguna de bay, Philippines
Author(s) -
J Kehoe Michael,
Carmen G. Castro,
Jon Carlo,
Benjamin J. Gonzales,
Maimagani Amina Vivian,
Carlos Camacho
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
philippine journal of systematic biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.189
H-Index - 3
ISSN - 1908-6865
DOI - 10.26757/pjsb2019a13011
Subject(s) - sexual dimorphism , biology , zoology , bay , ecology , geography , archaeology
Chitala ornata (J.E. Gray) (Osteoglossiformes: Notopteridae) has since established abundant and nuisance populations in Laguna de Bay. A fundamental prerequisite for the development of management strategies for invasive species like C. ornata is a full understanding of its life history characteristics including sexual dimorphism. In the present study, we examined the sexual dimorphism of C. ornata. Sexes of C. ornata can be distinguished through the examination of its genital papilla wherein females show distinct morphological adaptions for effective oviposition on a spawning substrate. Comparison of means and multivariate analysis of several morphometric characters showed that sexual size dimorphism in C. ornata is female-biased which is mainly attributed to the disparity of resource expenditure between sexes for reproduction and size-dependent advantages of females in the production of more progenies with better chances of survival.