CHANGES IN SHELL MORPHOLOGY OF -SUMiA COMALENSIS (GASTROPODA: PLEUROCERIDAE) FROM THE EDWARDS PLATEAU, TEXAS

摘要

Species in the pleurocerid genus Elimia are important components of freshwater systems in the eastern United States, but little is known about their natural history. Using dual-simultaneous linear regression and principal components analyses, we showpatterns of morphological change in two populations of E. comalensis from the Edwards Plateau, Texas. Both populations had similar rates of change for all shell measurements analyzed, and both showed similar decreases in growth as total length of shell increased. However, the size at which growth slowed was different between populations, and small shells tended to have a consistent shape, while larger shells were more variable.