Relationships between fish length and otolith size for five cyprinid species from Lake Ladik, Samsun, Turkey

Abstract

The relationships between size (length and width) of the lagenar (asteriscus) and the utricular (lapillus) otoliths and body length for fve cyprinid fsh species, freshwater bream Abramis brama , white bream Blicca bjoerkna , Prussian carp Carassius gibelio , brond-snout Chondrostoma regium , and rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus, collected from Lake Ladik from November 2009 through October 2010, are presented. Te right and lef side measurements of otoliths were pooled in all cases except asteriscus length in Prussian carp. Nonlinear and linear functions provided the best ft for 80% and 20% of all species, respectively. All relationships were highly signifcant (P < 0.001, R2 > 0.71) and the mean percent prediction errors were less than 10%. Te results showed that reliable original size estimates of all species studied are obtainable from their otolith biometrics. Te regressions from this study can be useful for investigators examining food habits of piscivorous fauna and sizes of these fshes in archaeological samples.The relationships between size (length and width) of the lagenar (asteriscus) and the utricular (lapillus) otoliths and body length for fve cyprinid fsh species, freshwater bream Abramis brama , white bream Blicca bjoerkna , Prussian carp Carassius gibelio , brond-snout Chondrostoma regium , and rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus, collected from Lake Ladik from November 2009 through October 2010, are presented. Te right and lef side measurements of otoliths were pooled in all cases except asteriscus length in Prussian carp. Nonlinear and linear functions provided the best ft for 80% and 20% of all species, respectively. All relationships were highly signifcant (P < 0.001, R2 > 0.71) and the mean percent prediction errors were less than 10%. Te results showed that reliable original size estimates of all species studied are obtainable from their otolith biometrics. Te regressions from this study can be useful for investigators examining food habits of piscivorous fauna and sizes of these fshes in archaeological samples.