Abstract
Benthic fishes exhibit different adaptive strategies and different degrees of association with the substrate. The aim of this study is to
describe the morphologic and morphometric characteristic of otolith of four species of benthonic fish off the coast of Valencia and study
the relationship between these otolith¿s characteristics witch the substrate. The sagittae analysed belonged to the following species:
Scorpaena scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 (N=40), Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758 (N=29), Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758 (N=24) and
Synaptura lusitanica Capello, 1868 (N=121). The fishes were sexed, the total length (TL) was measured in mm, and the sagittae were
removed to examine their morphology and morphometry. The E (=maximum width of the otolith (OW)/ maximum length of the otolith
(OL)%) and S (sulcus area (SS)/otolith area (OS) %) index were calculated. The E morphometric index showed a tendency towards an
elongated or circular shape and the S index showed a tendency of macula nervous to have a greater surface area of information uptake
to transmit to the fish brain. The analysis of otolith morphology and morphometry revealed the existence of different eco-morphological
patterns associated with habitat use and the type of substrate where the fish is most frequently found. The E and S index have proven to
be useful for discriminating between the sagittae of fishes from different water column uses and are associated a different substrates type.
RESUMEN
Los peces
