Describing Variability in Wing Shapes among Three Populations of Plesispareichei Using Landmark-Based Geometric Morphometric Analysis

This study was conducted to describe variability in 3 populations of a coconut pest, Plesispareichei landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis of inner wing shapes. A total of 21 landmarks were used to represent dimensions in the left and right wings. Analysis of Variance, coordinate mapping, relative warp, Euclidean Distance Matrix and Cluster Analyses were used to analyze these landmarks. Results showed that significant variations were observed among populations. Variation in the left wing is mainly seen along the proximal landmark pointsbut is variable in the right wing which may be an indication of asymmetry.Cluster analysis showed wing shape variationsbetween populations indicating population differentiation in the pest. Distance was not a factor which may indicate differences in genetic structure between populations.