LAUSR

Multivariate allometry patterns and length at metamorphosis (Lm) were determined in Acipenser stellatus by means of principal component analysis from 12 morphometric characters. The multivariate analysis differentiated three growth stanzas: the prelarval, larval and early juvenile stages. The prelarval stage was comprised from hatching (9.7 mm in total length, TL) to the transition to exogenous feeding (17.7mm TL, Lm1), a period characterized by yolk sac depletion and fast growth of the anterior and posterior body regions. These changes coincided with the development of sensory, feeding, respiratory and swimming systems to improve foraging behaviour and predator avoidance. During the larval period (17.7-52.8mm, Lm1-Lm2), specimens reached a juvenile phenotype characterized by the development of median fins, elongation and flattening of the snout and formation of bony scutes, and the improvement of their swimming capacities allowing larvae to regulate their dispersal distance from the spawning grounds. The...