BIOMETRY OF THE EUGERRES-PLUMIERI-EUGERRES-BRASILIANUS (PISCES, GERREIDAE) COMPLEX FROM THE GULF-OF-MEXICO - A MULTIVARIATE APPROACH

A biometric analysis of 58 members of the Eugerres plumieri complex fr om three sites (Gulf of Mexico) was performed to test the hypothesis t hat they actually represent two species. A Principal Components Analys is showed the segregation of the sample into two different groups. Thi s classification was evaluated by a Multiple Discriminant Analysis, an d the groups' membership was contrasted with a null model based on ran dom grouping. A multiple regression analysis allowed the identificatio n of five discriminant morphometric variables that account for more th an 95% of the total variance of PCA-axes 1 and 2. Our results support the hypothesis that them are two species of Eugerres in Mexican waters . Finally, the status of E. brasilianus is discussed.