Evaluation of body shape variation by goemetric morphometry of Genus garra Hamilton,1822

This study was carried out to evaluate the body shape variation of some Garra Hamilton, 1822 species distributed in Turkey on the basis of species and basins and to reach clearer results by standardizing them with geometric morphometry method. The specimens used in the study were collected during the field studies carried out in 20142022. The samples were photographed from the left side view and the value of similarities and differences between populations were determined by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) together with geometric morphometry analysis. According to the data obtained as a result of the study; Garra turcica and G. variabilis were the species with the highest intraspecific variation, while G. rufa was the species with the lowest intraspecific variation. Garra orontesi and G. turcica were found to be the closest species to each other. For the species evaluated, the most variation was observed in the tip of the snout, eye position, caudal peduncle height, body height and the beginning of the operculum. It was observed that the range of phenotypic plasticity was wide in the evaluated species, this variation increased even more in the intersection regions of the populations, and at the same time, the level of plasticity increased in geographically distant populations.