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This study was conducted to discriminate fiveScorpaenaspecies and populations of each species according to morphometric characters. A total of 1865 fish specimens were collected from the eight locations in the four Turkish seas: Antalya, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Hatay, İzmir, Marmara Ereğlisi, Ordu and Şile. In the study, 26 morphometric traits were measured for intra- and interspecific discrimination of fiveScorpaenaspecies. The data were subjected to analysis of variance, principal components analysis (PCA) and canonical discriminant analysis. As results of the PCA, 10 traits forS. maderensisandS. scrofa,12 traits forS. elongataand 13 traits forS. notataandS. porcuswere found to be important for intraspcific discrimination. The overall classification scores of intraspecific discrimination were determined as 94.6% forS. elongata, 90.5% forS. maderensis, 96.7% forS. notata, 96.5% forS. porcusand 92.2% forS. scrofa. The PCA indicated that 13 morphometric measurements among the 26 traits are important in the interspecific discrimination of fiveScorpaenaspecies. The cross-validated canonical discriminant analysis was correctly classified as 97.4% at theScorpaenaspecies level. The discrimination of correctly classified species ranged from 94.8% to 100%. Finally, we demonstrated that the morphometric characters examined in the present study can be used successfully in the intra- and interspecific discrimination ofScorpaenaspecies from different habitats., Este estudio se realizó para discriminar cinco especies deScorpaenay poblaciones de cada especie en función de los caracteres morfométricos. Se recolectaron un total de 1865 especímenes de peces de los ocho lugares como Antalya, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Hatay, İzmir, Marmara Ereğlisi, Ordu y Şile en los cuatro mares turcos. En el estudio, se midieron 26 rasgos morfométricos para discriminaciones intra e interespecies de cinco especies deScorpaena. Los datos se sometieron a ANOVA, análisis de componentes principales (PCA) y análisis discriminante canónico (CDA). Como resultado del PCA, 10 rasgos paraS. maderensisyS. scrofa, 12 rasgos paraS. elongata, 13 rasgos paraS. notatayS. porcusson importantes para la discriminación intraespecífica. Las puntuaciones generales de clasificación de discriminación intraespecífica se determinaron como 94,6% paraS. elongata, 90,5% paraS. maderensis, 96,7% paraS. notata, 96,5% paraS. porcusy 92,2% paraS. scrofa. La PCA indicó que 13 medidas morfométricas entre los 26 rasgos son importantes en la discriminación interespecífica de cinco especies deScorpaena. El análisis discriminante canónico con validación cruzada clasificó correctamente como 97,4% a nivel de la especieScorpaena. La discriminación de especies correctamente clasificadas osciló entre 94,8 y 100%. Finalmente, demostramos que los caracteres morfométricos examinados en el presente estudio se pueden utilizar con éxito en las discriminaciones intra e interespecies de especies deScorpaenade diferentes hábitats.

Intra- and interspecific interactions within communities of species that utilize the same resources are characterized by competition or facilitation. The noctuid stemborers, Busseola fusca and Sesamia calamistis, and the crambid stemborer, Chilo partellus were the most important pests of maize in sub-Saharan Africa before the recent &ldquo, invasion&rdquo, of fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, which currently seriously limits maize yields in Africa. This new pest is interacting with the stemborer community at the larval stage in the use of maize resources. From a work done by Ntiri et al. [13] on the influence of temperature on the larval intra- and interspecific resources utilization within the community of Lepidoptera stemborers involving B. fusca, S. calamistis, and C. partellus, there is a need to update this study by adding the new pest, S. frugiperda, in order to understand the effect of temperature on the larval interactions of all these four species under the context of climate change. The influence of temperature on intra- and interspecific larval interactions was studied in the same protocol of Ntiri et al. [13] using artificial stems kept at different constant temperatures (15 &deg, C, 20 &deg, C, 25 &deg, C, and 30 &deg, C) in an incubator and assessing survival and relative growth rates of each species in single and multi-species experiments. After the inclusion of FAW into the experiments, with regard to relative growth rates, both intra- and interspecific competition was observed among all four species. With regard to survival rates, cannibalism can also explain the intra- and interspecific interactions observed among all four species. Interspecific competition was stronger between the stemborers than between the FAW and the stemborers. Similar to lepidopteran stemborers, temperature affected both survival and relative growth rates of the FAW as well. Regardless of the temperature, C. partellus was superior in interspecific interactions shown by higher relative growth and survival rates. The results suggest that the FAW will co-exist with stemborer species along entire temperature gradient, though competition and/or cannibalism with them is weak. In addition, temperature increases caused by climate change is likely to confer an advantage to C. partellus over the fall armyworm and the other noctuids.