<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Otoliths are bony structures inside the fish labyrinth. They are used to determine the age of fish and to identify species based on their remains. The objective of this study was to describe the shape of otoliths in adult European perch (<italic>Perca fluviatilis</italic>), Atlantic herring (<italic>Clupea harengus</italic>), European sprat (<italic>Sprattus sprattus</italic>), lesser sand eel (<italic>Ammodytes tobianus</italic>), great sand eel (<italic>Hyperoplus lanceolatus</italic>), round goby (<italic>Neogobius melanostomus</italic>), European whitefish (<italic>Coregonus lavaretus</italic>), Atlantic cod (<italic>Gadus morhua</italic>), haddock (<italic>Melanogrammus aeglefinus</italic>), European eel (<italic>Anguilla anguilla</italic>), viviparous eelpout (<italic>Zoarces viviparus</italic>), turbot (<italic>Scophthalmus maximus</italic>), European flounder (<italic>Platichthys flesus</italic>), European plaice (<italic>Pleuronectes platessa</italic>) and European smelt (<italic>Osmerus eperlanus</italic>). Fish were caught in the Gulf of Gdańsk. The relationships between the size of otoliths and the length of fish were established for adult European perch, European flounder, Atlantic herring and round goby. Otoliths of taxonomically related species were similar. It was not possible to differentiate otoliths of Ammodytidae, Pleuronectidae, Scophthalamidae, Anguilidae by comparing the presented results with the literature data. Otoliths of Zoarcidae, Osmeridae, Clupeidae, Gadidae, Gobiidae, Percidae and Salmonidae were quite similar but distinguishable. In most of the investigated species, otoliths grow proportionally to the fish size. Their shape does not change during the fish life. The shape of otoliths in the round goby changes significantly. Otoliths of small fish are rounded and significantly lengthen during the growth of fish.</p></abstract>

Otoliths are bony structures inside the fish labyrinth. They are used to determine the age of fish and to identify species based on their remains. The objective of this study was to describe the shape of otoliths in adult European perch (Perca fluviatilis), Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), European sprat (Sprattus sprattus), lesser sand eel (Ammodytes tobianus), great sand eel (Hyperoplus lanceolatus), round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), European eel (Anguilla anguilla), viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus), turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), European flounder (Platichthys flesus), European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) and European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus). Fish were caught in the Gulf of Gdańsk. The relationships between the size of otoliths and the length of fish were established for adult European perch, European flounder, Atlantic herring and round goby. Otoliths of taxonomically related species were similar. It was not possible to differentiate otoliths of Ammodytidae, Pleuronectidae, Scophthalamidae, Anguilidae by comparing the presented results with the literature data. Otoliths of Zoarcidae, Osmeridae, Clupeidae, Gadidae, Gobiidae, Percidae and Salmonidae were quite similar but distinguishable. In most of the investigated species, otoliths grow proportionally to the fish size. Their shape does not change during the fish life. The shape of otoliths in the round goby changes significantly. Otoliths of small fish are rounded and significantly lengthen during the growth of fish.

Shapes of otoliths in some Baltic fish and their proportions

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Shapes of otoliths in some Baltic fish and their proportions"}

Otoliths are bony structures inside the fish labyrinth. They are used to determine the age of fish and to identify species based on their remains. The...

species	n	total length (cm)		otolith length (mm)		otolith width (mm)		otolith length/width ratio
species	n	min.	max	equation	r	equation	r	equation	r
N. melanostomus	30	7.1	20.0	y = 3.769x−1.570	0.988	y = 7.725x−6.028	0.974	y = 25.545x−26.655	0.837
P. fluviatilis	12	12.5	21.0	y = 4.273x−4.862	0.976	y = 7.890x−1.588	0.976	y = 24.491x+70.207	0.657
P. flesus	21	8.8	26.0	y = 5.575x−4.040	0.971	y = 9.629x−6.041	0.976	y = 19.699x−13.877	0.347
C. harengus	16	12.5	29.0	y = 7.005x−6.099	0.967	y = 17.131x−9.899	0.917	y = 19.758x−21.645	0.585

Shapes of otoliths in some Baltic fish and their proportions

Article Category: Short communication

Online veröffentlicht: 22. Sept. 2019

Seitenbereich: 296 - 304

Eingereicht: 06. Nov. 2018

Akzeptiert: 15. März 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ohs-2019-0027

© 2019 Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Figure 5

Relations between otolith length, otolith width, otolith the length/width ratio and fish total length