Investigating the Morphometric Variation in the Populations of Megachernes Pavlovskyi Redikorzev, 1949 (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae) in Zagros Mountain Caves, Iran

In the present study, morphometric characteristics among four populations of Megachernes pavlovskyi found in caves located in the Zagros Mountains were studied. The length/width proportions of 14 meristic traits of 95 specimens were considered. Data analyses were performed by statistical analysis tools (e.g. ANOVA, MANOVA, PCA, DFA, and cluster analysis). The results of ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference between 12 characters (p<0.05). Principal Component Analysis revealed three main components, which accounted for 64.98% of the total variance. Due to the differences in environmental factors of the studied caves and the influence of morphological traits on ecological factors, the morphological differences among populations could be due to differences in habitat characteristics of species to live in.