条纹鯻(Terapon theraps)耳石的形态特征分析OACHSSCD

To clarify the morphological characteristics of the sagittal otolith in Terapon theraps from the coastal waters of Sanya and their relationship with fish growth,50 individuals collected from April to December 2023 were analyzed.Eleven otolith morphometric parameters(length,width,perimeter,area,etc.)were measured using traditional morphomet-ric methods,and multi-model fitting was applied to establish relationship models between otolith parameters and fish body length and body weight.The results showed that:(1)The sagittal otolith is shuttle-shaped,tapering at both ends and broad in the middle,with a slightly undulating margin and a posterior section approximating an elliptical shape;(2)Paired-sample t-tests revealed no significant differences between left and right otoliths for any of the 11 morphological pa-rameters(P>0.05),indicating strong bilateral symmetry;(3)Based on the multi-model fitting,otolith weight exhibited the strongest linear correlation with body weight(R²=0.966 8),while long diameter(R²=0.814 5),perimeter(R²=0.806 7),and area(R²=0.944 8)followed power-function relationships with body weight.The study confirms that otolith parameters can serve as reliable indicators for estimating body weight in T.theraps,providing critical theoretical support for otolith-based fishery stock assessments.