| نویسندگان | Razieh Fattahi, Alireza Sari, · Fatemeh Nazari, · Gilan Attaran‑Fariman, · Reza Naderloo1 |
|---|---|
| نشریه | Zoomorphology |
| شماره مجلد | 144 |
| نوع مقاله | Full Paper |
| تاریخ انتشار | 2025 |
| رتبه نشریه | ISI |
| نوع نشریه | چاپی |
| کشور محل چاپ | ایران |
چکیده مقاله
In this study, the instability of morphological characters in adult females of Parvocalanus crassirostris (F. Dahl, 1894) is
evaluated. More than 28 types of fifth legs were observed in female individuals of P. crassirostris, showing variation in
shape, segmentation, spine-like setae size, and the presence or absence of spines on the legs. Compared to other diagnostic
characters, this trait is considered to have low value due to its observed morphological variations. Additionally, diversity was
observed in the ornamentation of the outer border of exopods 2 (Exp2) and 3 (Exp3), with different serration patterns on the
second to fourth legs. Molecular analysis using the partial CO1 gene showed that all individuals, regardless of intraspecific
variation in the type of modified fifth legs, belong to P. crassirostris. All observed morphs are described in this study to
provide informative data for evaluating diverse character types. Among state-of-the-art methods, the confocal laser scanning
microscope was used to examine this phenotypic diversity and to explore the main patterns and hypotheses related to the
factors possibly affecting morphological trait inconsistencies in this species.