Dentex maroccanus Valenciennes, 1830 Otolith Morphology, Age, and Growth in the Aegean Sea (E. Mediterranean)
- Author(s)
- Aglaia Legaki, Isabella Leonhard, Chryssi Mytilineou, Aikaterini Anastasopoulou
- Abstract
Otoliths are important structures for balance and hearing of fish and constitute a useful
tool in fisheries science. This study provides, for the first time in the Mediterranean, information on
the otolith morphometrics of Dentex maroccanus, collected from the South Aegean Sea, and enriches
the existing information on its age and growth by sex. The otolith shape variables examined showed
a more circular to square otolith shape, related to the body size. Significant differences between
sexes were detected for the otolith Area, Diameter, Perimeter, and Radius. Exponential regressions
were used to examine the relationship of the otolith variables with total body length, from which
five showed a strong correlation (Diameter, Width, Radius, Area, and Perimeter). The eviscerated
weight–length relationship exhibited an isometric growth for both sexes, whereas when total weight
was applied, a positive allometric growth was found for females. Sagittal otolith readings revealed
four age groups for females and five for males. A Bhattacharya method was used for age validation.
Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were as follows: L∞ = 23.08, k = 0.27, t0 = −1.93 for females and
L∞ = 24.07, k = 0.24, t0 = −2.26 for males. This research offers valuable biological information for
Dentex maroccanus useful in fisheries science.- Organisation(s)
- Department of Palaeontology
- Journal
- Animals
- ISSN
- 2076-2615
- Publication date
- 11-2024
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106001 General biology
- Keywords
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 14 - Life Below Water
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/dentex-maroccanus-valenciennes-1830-otolith-morphology-age-and-growth-in-the-aegean-sea-e-mediterranean(c22f38f7-0a7e-4902-a565-03865a99d3d8).html