Relationships between otolith size and fish size in some mesopelagic and bathypelagic species from the Mediterranean Sea (Strait of Messina, Italy)

Pietro Battaglia,Teresa Romeo,Franco Andaloro,Danilo Malara

doi:10.3989/scimar.2010.74n3605

Abstract

The length-weight relationships and the regressions between otolith size (length and width) and fish length of some mesopelagic and bathypelagic fishes living in the central Mediterranean Sea were provided. Images and morphological description of otoliths (sagittae) from 16 species belonging to the families of Gonostomatidae (1), Microstomatidae (2), Myctophidae (8), Phosichthyidae (2), Sternoptychidae (2) and Stomiidae (1) were given. The length-weight relationship showed an isometric growth in 13 species. No differences between right and left otolith sizes were detected by t-test, so a single linear regression was plotted against standard length (SL) for otolith length (OL) and otolith width (OW). Data fitted well to the regression model for both OL and OW to SL, for each species (R2 > 0.8). These relationships offer a helpful tool in feeding studies and also provide support to palaeontologists in their research on fish fossils.

Highlights

Mesopelagic and bathypelagic fishes are species usually living in mid-water masses (Salvanes and Kristoffersen, 2001), having a large vertical distribution (Gjøsaeter and Kawaguchi, 1980) and playing an important ecological role in the energy transfer from epipelagic waters to deep environments
SUMMARY: The length-weight relationships and the regressions between otolith size and fish length of some mesopelagic and bathypelagic fishes living in the central Mediterranean Sea were provided
Images and morphological description of otoliths from 16 species belonging to the families of Gonostomatidae (1), Microstomatidae (2), Myctophidae (8), Phosichthyidae (2), Sternoptychidae (2) and Stomiidae (1) were given

Summary

Introduction

Mesopelagic and bathypelagic fishes are species usually living in mid-water masses (Salvanes and Kristoffersen, 2001), having a large vertical distribution (Gjøsaeter and Kawaguchi, 1980) and playing an important ecological role in the energy transfer from epipelagic waters to deep environments. They carry out large diel vertical migrations, moving towards the upper layers at night to feed on plankton or micronekton and coming back to deeper waters during the daytime to avoid predation (Marshall, 1960). Lam and Pauly, 2005), is an important food resource in the marine trophic web

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