Allometric Relationships between Size of Calcified Structures and Round Goby Total Length

Abstract

AbstractAllometric relationships between calcified structures and total length of round goby Neogobius melanostomus were determined from a sample of fish ranging in total length from 53 to 152 mm. Each of the 10 allometric equations gave coefficients of determination (r2) that were greater than 0.80 and highly significant. The equations with the most predictive ability were those relating total length to cleithral, opercular, mouth, and pharyngeal bone measurements. Round goby remains were found in the stomachs of 10 predator species from the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. Round goby were ingested most often by yellow perch Perca flavescens (40% of the stomachs examined) and largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (27%) and less frequently by other predators. Round goby calcified structures most frequently found in the stomachs of predators were mouth parts (premaxilla and dentary), pharyngeal bones (dentigerous plate and pharyngobranchial plates), and otoliths. The predictive equations, diagnostic features of calcified structures, and list of predatory species in this study may serve as helpful tools for future analyses of round goby predator diets.