Morphology and ecomorphological analysis. Some morphological features, such as body shape, general body coloration, caudal fin form, dentition, and number of pyloric caeca were considered to ascertain if they were in accordance with the mode-of-life of the studied serranids (such as position in the water column, habitat use, feeding behavior, feeding habits, and diet). These morphological features were also compared to each other. Additionally, the following six ecomorphological attributes, which were chosen based on their biological interpretations, were calculated to each studied species (Gatz, 1979):