Comparative otolith morphology and species identification of clupeids from Japan
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Comparative otolith morphology and species identification of clupeids from Japan Shota Mitsui1 · Carlos A. Strüssmann1 · Masashi Yokota1 · Yoji Yamamoto1 Received: 23 January 2020 / Revised: 30 March 2020 / Accepted: 30 March 2020 © The Ichthyological Society of Japan 2020
Abstract The amount of interspecific and ontogenetic variation in otolith shape among clupeid fishes from Japan was investigated to create a key to identify otoliths of these species found in the stomach contents of piscivorous predators, fossiliferous beds, and archaeological sites. The interspecific comparison with 12 species (Clupea pallasii, Etrumeus micropus, Herklotsichthys quadrimaculatus, Ilisha elongata, Konosirus punctatus, Nematalosa come, Nematalosa japonica, Sardinella aurita, Sardinella melanura, Sardinella zunasi, Sardinops melanostictus, and Spratelloides gracilis) revealed morphological variation in otolith shape, OL:OH and AL:RL ratios, rostrum, marginal structures, and features of the crista superior. Intraspecific changes were analyzed in two species (E. micropus and S. melanostictus), revealing ontogenetic changes in OL:OH ratio and consequently otolith shape as well as changes in marginal features. Overall, this study shows that the key morphological features can be used as diagnostic features for identification of clupeid otoliths. Keywords Clupeidae · Stomach contents · Ecology · Fossil · Palaeontology · Archaeology
Introduction Otoliths are biominerals composed primarily of calcium carbonate layered within a proteinaceous matrix that are found in the inner ears of teleost fishes (Lin and Chang 2012). Each inner ear usually contains three kinds of otoliths, namely the sagitta, lapillus, and asteriscus. These structures work as static organs and are responsible for the sense of balance, gravity, acceleration, and the perception of sound. Fish otoliths show various degrees of species-specific morphology and may constitute a taxonomic tool for species identification (e.g. Lin and Chang 2012). Also, because they are highly calcified and acellular (Campana 1999), their degradation after the death of the fish takes considerably longer than bones and soft tissues. For that reason, otoliths are often found in the stomach contents of piscivorous predators such Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-020-00746-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Shota Mitsui [email protected] 1
Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, 4‑5‑7 Konan, Minato‑ku, Tokyo 108‑8477, Japan
as whales and dolphins even after all other body parts have been digested (e.g. Yamazaki et al. 2008; Mitsui et al. 2014). Otoliths are also frequently found as fossils in ancient geological strata (e.g. Aguilera et al. 2014; Schwarzhans 2019a), in sea bottom sediments (e.g. Lin et al. 2017, 2018), and in archaeological sites (e.g. Lin et al. 2013; Ohe et al. 2016). Thus, otoliths can be
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