A multivariate approach to morphological study of shell form in cowries (Gastropoda, Cypraeidae): a case study with Umbiliaarmeniaca (Verco, 1912)

ABSTRACT: Abstract Multivariate approaches to morphological study of shell form have rarely been applied to cowries (Gastropoda: Cypraeidae) with preference, instead, for comparing formulaic notations of shell form that report averages (i.e., means) for key morphometrics such as shell dimensions, their ratios, and counts of apertural teeth. Although widely applied, the “shell formula” does not account for variation among individuals or support statistical comparison between taxa. This study applied a multivariate approach to analyse shell form within the four accepted subspecies of the cowrie, Umbiliaarmeniaca (Verco, 1912) and included a previously unstudied, and most northerly, population of U.armeniaca from Lancelin, Western Australia. Multivariate analyses readily separated the recognised subsp

SUBMITTER: Southgate P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10193853 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature