Abstract

Fifty-two specimens of Cheirodon australe Eigenman, 1927, were collected in the littoral of Lake Tarahuin the Grand Island of Chiloé. Samples were classified according to Campos (1982). A comparative statistical analysis was carried out with specimens of Cheirodon australe from river Valdivia, and of Cheirodon galusdae Eigenmann, 1927, from river Kata and Grand Lagoon of San Pedro. Principal component and discriminant analysis were realized. Those analysis showed a morphological separation of the population of insular Cheirodon austral from the continental population. It is postulated that this morphological differentiation has a historic zoogeographic explanation. The southern record of Cheirodon australe is extended, confirming that Grand Island of Chi|06contains primarily fresh water fish species that are absent in the continental pre-andean region south of latitude 41'30' S.