Resumen de Relationship Between Otolith Measurements Against Length and Weight Body of Four Ponyfish Species

Fatemeh Khanali, Mohammad Sadegh Alavi-Yeganeh, Manoochehr Nasri

• The relationships of size and weight of otoliths with length and weight and mass of fish were estimated for four ponyfish species (Aurigequula fasciata; Deveximentum ruconius; Nuchequula gerreoides and Photopectoralis bindus) from the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea. The results revealed some significant relationships (p < 0.05) between otolith length and width vs. fish length, and otolith weight vs. fish weight in all four species (r2 > 0.71). The higher coefficient of determination (r2) for FW-OWE relationships in studied ponyfish species suggested higher correlation between fish weight and otolith weight than fish length—otolith size relationships. There is no previous report on size-weight relationships of fish and otolith measurments among four studied ponyfish species. These estimated equations can be used in back-calculation studies, especially for these four ponyfishes as the dominant prey for piscivorous predators in their habitats