Relative warp and correlation analysis based on distances of the morphological shell shape patterns of Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck from Japan and the Philippines

The Golden Apple Snail (GAS), Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck is considered one of the serious agricultural pests of rice in Asia. Itis being argued that rapid invasion of this species in many variable habitats suggests genetic variability and differentiation which could be expressedat the level of the phenotype. It is therefore the major objective of the study to explore possible phenotypic differentiation in the organismespecially in the shape of the shell using geometric morphometric (GM) analysis. Specifically, this study aimed to determine conchologicalvariation in populations of GAS in the Philippines and Japan. Three aspects of the shell shape were studied, which includes the ventral/aperture,dorsal and the top/whorl portion of the shell using correlation analysis based on distances (CORIANDIS). CORIANDIS was used in order tovisualize congruence of multivariate traits among P. canaliculata populations. The results showed that P. canaliculata shell varies in shape andvariability may signify distinctive genotypes or adaptation to varying environments exhibited by Japan and the Philippines.