Fig 1.
Map of the sampling site at Curuçá, PA.
Map of the sampling site at Curuçá, Northeastern PA.
Fig 2.
Mimetic carangid fish species associated to their respective plant models.
Mimetic carangid fish species associated to their respective plant models. Three species of mimetic Carangidae associated to their respective plant models, where (A) and (D) denote respectively juvenile and adult Oligoplites palometa; (B) and (E) juvenile and adult O. saurus; (C) and (F) juvenile and adult Trachinotus falcatus; (G) Rhizophora mangle leaf; (H) Laguncularia racemosa seed; (I) L. racemosa flower; and (J) unspecified mangrove petiole.
Table 1.
List of landmarks used for the geometric morphometric analysis.
Fig 3.
Morphospace showing morphometric similarities shared by mimetic fish and plant models.
PCA analysis showing the morphometric similarities shared among the three species observed to their respective models, where yellow plots denote O. saurus; red plots denote O. palometa and black plots denote T. falcatus. Models are represented by different shades of green for leaves, seeds and flowers, with petioles are denoted in brown.
Fig 4.
PCO analysis showing dissimilarity levels observed for fish and models.
Principal coordinates analysis showed how different are mimetic and adult fish, according to the analyzed ecomorphological indexes, and how close (similar) are mimetic fish with their respective associated models, where filled symbols denote non-mimetic adult fish, and blank symbols denote mimetic juvenile fish. O. palometa are represented by yellow symbols; O. saurus by red symbols and T. falcatus by black symbols. Models are represented by different shades of green for leaves, seeds and flowers, with petioles are denoted in brown.
Fig 5.
Cluster analysis and shade plot showing similarity degrees of mimetic fish and associated models.
Cluster associations separating clearly mimetic and non-mimetic fish, and showing the similarity levels observed among mimetic fish and their respective associated models, where filled symbols denote non-mimetic adult fish (NMI), and blank symbols denote mimetic juvenile fish (MIM). O. palometa are represented by yellow symbols; O. saurus by red symbols and T. falcatus by black symbols. Models (MOD) are represented by different shades of green for leaves, seeds and flowers, with petioles are denoted in brown. In the shade plot, RBD refers to “Relative Body Depth”; CI, “Compression Index”; CPC, “Caudal Peduncle Compression Index”; and IVF, “Index of Ventral Flattening”, respectively.
Fig 6.
Isometric growth patterns observed for three carangid species according to LM data.
A general isometric pattern was observed for all three Carangid species during mimetic juvenile stages.
Fig 7.
Growth patterns observed according to the ecomorphological indexes.
All ecomorphological indexes employed showed similar isometric growth patterns for all three mimetic carangid species. Fish species are divided in columns, where (A-D) show growth analyses for O. palometa, (E-H) for O. saurus, and (I-L) for T. falcatus, where RBD refers to “Relative Body Depth”; CI, “Compression Index”; CPC, “Caudal Peduncle Compression Index”; IVF, “Index of Ventral Flattening”; and SL (cm) refers to “Standard Length”, respectively.