Abstract
Otoliths are calcium carbonate structures located in the inner ear of fish; they are responsible for hearing and balance. The inner ear has three pairs of otoliths: the lapilli, the sagittae and the asterisci. The sagittae otoliths are the largest and their format is species-specific. Because of their composition, otoliths can resist to the digestive tract of ichthyophagous species, and they can be used as an important tool for identifying species of fish found in stomach contents. The purpose of this work is to provide a photographic guide of the sagittae otoliths of the main fish species from the Sinos River. This atlas consists of photographs of the sagittae otoliths of 36 species belonging to 15 families distributed in five orders.
Highlights
Otoliths are paired structures composed of organic matter and calcium carbonate crystals, especially in the form of aragonite. These structures are located in the membranous labyrinth in the inner ear of fishes and are responsible for sound detection and maintenance of balance (Lecomte-Finiger, 1999; García et al, 2004; Payan et al, 2004; Popper et al, 2005)
Otoliths are formed from a primordial secreted by the inner ear, and are usually the first calcified structure formed during ontogenesis (Morales-Nin, 2000; Wright et al, 2002)
The purpose of this work is to provide a photographic guide of the sagittae otoliths of the most common fish species from the Sinos river
Summary
Otoliths are paired structures composed of organic matter and calcium carbonate crystals, especially in the form of aragonite These structures are located in the membranous labyrinth in the inner ear of fishes and are responsible for sound detection and maintenance of balance (Lecomte-Finiger, 1999; García et al, 2004; Payan et al, 2004; Popper et al, 2005). The formation involves rhythmic variations in the deposition and size of the organic matrix fibre, which results in the formation of concentric layers of variable thickness (Morales-Nin, 2000) These layers alternate in opaque and hyaline layers, representing periods of fast growth and slow growth, respectively; in temperate zones a pair of these layers consists of a year, and this set of layers is called annulus, and it is used for the age determination in years (Wright et al, 2002)
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