R. de la Barra; M. E. Martínez; C. Calderón & E. Latorre

The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability and harmony of the morphostructural format of the Marin Magellan Meat Merino breed in order to contribute to knowledge about the differentiation of sheep populations. In summer 2010, evaluation on a sheep population coming from an incomplete absorbent crossbreeding of Corriedale by Australian Merino breeds was done in Magallanes Region, Chile. All three and five year-old ewes (62 and 50, respectively) were measured. Fourteen body measurements were taken and nine body indexes were calculated. Results show that the evaluated sheep population does not show significant intergenerational differences in most of the morphostructural variables. At the same time, there is a high between-age similarity in the correlations between zoometric indexes. Therefore, it can be stated that the morphostructural model of Marin Magellan Meat Merino ewes shows a high degree of stability and harmony.

KEY WORDS: Sheep; Genetic crossbreeding; Morphology; Morphostructural stability.

DE LA BARRA, R.; MARTÍNEZ, M. E.; CALDERÓN, C. & LATORRE, E. Intergenerational morphostructural stability and harmony of marin magellan. Int. J. Morphol., 31(4):1455-1458, 2013.