Abstract
Preliminary investigations were performed to develop techniques to expose and to correctly interpret the microstructure of otoliths of three species of chaetodonts. Specimens were collected from One Tree Reef on the southern Great Barrier Reef between April 1985 and February 1987. Lapilli were found to be clearer and to provide higher counts than sagittae. By marking fish with tetracycline, the period of formation of increments was validated as daily. A discontinuity was evident in the lapilli, whose formation was related to the time of settlement to the reef. Chaetodon rainfordi had a mean pre-settlement duration of 27.8 d compared with 45.2 and 23.2 d for C. plebius and Chelmon rostratus, respectively. Each species demonstrated exponential growth in weight, but their patterns of growth in standard length differed. Chaetodon rainfordi had exponentially decreasing growth in length up to the age of 300 d, whilst C. plebius grew linearly for at least 200 d. Growth of Chelmon rostratus was approximately linear up to the age of 60 d.
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