CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

This study aimed to analyze morphological variations in the sagitta of Menticirrhus americanus regarding sex and possible influences of the reproductive process in this structure. The specimens, caught in a Brazilian subtropical environment were measured for total length (TL), sexed and analyzed for gonadal development and the otoliths were extracted. The measurements of the right otoliths of each specimen were: length (OL greater longitudinal distance) and height (OH greater perpendicular distance) of the otolith, area and perimeter of the otolith (AO and PER, respectively) and sulcus acusticus area (AS). The applied shape indices were: Ratio Aspects OL/OT and OH/OL*100, Rectangularity [Rc = AO/(OL×OH)], Ellipticity [E = (OL-OH/OL+OH)], relative surface of the sulcusacusticus [SRS = AS/AO] and the wavelets for the otolith contour was also obtained. The results showed: adult specimens of similar size were selected (males meanTL = 24.6 ± 1.9 cm, n = 40 and females meanTL = 24.2 ± 1.7 cm, n = 50) to avoid the influence of ontogeny; the Wilcoxon Mann- Whitney test evidenced no significant differences for the shape indices between the sexes. The Kruskal-Wallis test of the 9 wavelets obtained showed only significant differences between the sexes in wavelet 4 in the ventral-posterior region of the otolith. It was also used young (meanTL = 17 ± 0.83 cm, n = 27) and adult (mean TL = 18.13 ± 0.98 cm, n = 29) females, with similar length; the otolith parameters was significant, except for rectangularity and SRS. The adult females and young femalesshowed significant differences in wavelets 1 and 4 in the ventral-posterior region, in wavelet 5 in the ventral-posterior region and in the dorsal-posterior region and in wavelet 6 in the anterior end of the otolith. The results showed that the reproductive process influences the shape and the contour of otoliths.

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