Sexual Dimorphism of European Perch, Perca fluviatilis Linnaeus, 1758 from Lake Skadar (Montenegro) Based on Morphometric Characters

The morphological variability of European perch from Lake Skadar was evaluated based on 19 morphometric measurements. Analysis of variance and covariance showed that seven morphometric characters were different among sexes: head length, preorbital distance, predorsal distance of first dorsal fin, predorsal distance of second dorsal fin, first dorsal fin height, second dorsal fin height and pectoral fin length. Characters: head length, preorbital distance, predorsal distance of first dorsal fin and predorsal distance of second dorsal fin showed no value overlap among males and females, which indicated significant differences between sexes in these characters. Growth analysis of individual morphometric parameters versus total length showed that: head length, preorbital distance, predorsal distance of first dorsal fin and predorsal distance of second dorsal fin have more or less isometric growth for both sexes and were mainly dependent on fish total length. This study determined that females have larger heads compared to males of the same age.