New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
A new technique for assessing fixation-induced morphological variation in
octopus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)
STEVE O'SHEA
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd
P.O. Box 14-901 Kilbirnie
Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract The morphology of a preserved octopod is
significantly affected by the condition of the animal at the time of fixation,
whether live or dead. When unknown, this condition can be assessed by examining
the degree of contraction of the radula support muscle. Specimens fixed
post-mortem have a relaxed radula support muscle. This muscle is contracted in
specimens plunged into preservatives alive. The degree of contraction of this
radula support muscle facilitates identification of both fixation-induced and
fixation-independent character states in octopod systematics.
Keywords fixation; character states; radula support muscle;
Mollusca; Octopoda; systematics
Received 13 June 1995; accepted 25 November 1996
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 1997, Vol. 24: 163-166
0301-4223/2402-0163 $7.00/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
1997
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (730K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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