Otolith formation,microstructure and daily increment validation in juvenile perch Perca fluviatilis

The otoliths of laboratory‐reared larval and juvenile perch Perca fluviatilis of known age were analysed to determine the age of otolith formation and validate the formation of daily increments. There was a linear relationship between number of increments and age in days post‐hatching, although by 82 days post‐hatching daily increment counts underestimated actual age by an average of 5 days. Otolith dimensions in relation to standard length indicated allometric growth of otoliths until completion of yolk absorption, and isometric growth thereafter, up to 82 days post‐hatching.     

Verification of daily growth increment formation in saury otoliths by rearing larvae from hatching

Naturally spawned eggs of the Pacific saury,Cololabis saira, were collected in the field and reared in a tank to examine daily periodicity of growth increment formation in the otolith. Larvae were 6.9 mm in knob length at hatching. Their otoliths (sagittae) were 31 μm in radius and had 3–6 faint concentric rings. They started feeding within two days and grew at a rate of 1.1 mm/day on average through larval and juvenile stages feeding on rotifers,Artemia nauplii, and artificial diets. Otolith growth increments showed a concentric pattern with a distance of 3.5–5.0 μm between two adjacent increments. The number of growth increments was almost equal to a known age in days plus 4 or 5. A regression line of number of increments (N) on known age in days (D) between 0–30 days after hatching was N = 4.81 + 1.01D, which shows that one increment was deposited per day.     

Validation of daily otolith increments in larval and juvenile Chinese sucker, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myxocyprinus asiaticus</Emphasis>

Otolith development was observed and the formation of daily growth increments in otoliths of Chinese sucker, Myxocyprinus asiaticus, was validated by monitoring known-age larvae and juveniles in the laboratory from 2003 to 2005. Otolith shape changed with larval and juvenile development, and there was an exponential relationship until a body length of 16 mm or so, and a linear relationship after a body length of 16 mm between otolith size and fish size. The first increment was identified in larvae 1 day after hatching. The regressed equations between daily age (D) and increment number in otoliths (N) were N = −0.64 + 0.96D in lapillus, and N = −0.31 + 0.98D in sagitta. The slopes were not significantly different than 1.0. This demonstrated that otolith increments in this species were formed daily and can be used for daily age determination.     

Otolith shape analysis and daily increment validation during ontogeny of larval and juvenile European chub Squalius cephalus

This assesses features of otoliths from laboratory-reared embryos, larvae and juvenile European chub Squalius cephalus from hatching to 180 days post-hatching (dph). We observed the development of the three pairs of otoliths (lapilli, sagittae and asterisci) and more precisely shape changes, as well as timing and deposition rate of increments of the lapilli. The lapilli and the sagittae were present at hatching, whereas the asterisci formed between 20 and 30 dph. The lapillus and sagitta shapes were round until 20 dph. From 60 dph the anterior and the posterior rostra of the sagittae were well developed, but very thin, making this otolith too fragile to manipulate for further studies of shape and validation of otolith increment deposition rate. The lapilli provided reliable age estimates for free embryos, larvae and juveniles up to 120 dph. However, caution should be taken when ageing fish older than 150 dph as an underestimation was noticeable. The regression of the number of otolith increments on age showed a slope and an intercept not significantly different from 1 and 0, respectively, which indicated that otolith growth increments were deposited on a daily basis, with the first microincrement occurring at hatching. Increment counts were consistent between three interpreters, indicating a consistent and reliable age estimate. This study validates that the otolith increment deposition rate can be used to assess hatching dates and daily growth of wild S. cephalus under 150 dph and in environments similar to the conditions used in this study.     

Microstructural growth in otoliths of black rockfish,sebastes schlegeli, from prenatal larval to early juvenile stages

Microstructural growth in the sagittae ofSeastes schlegeli, a viviparous scorpaenid, is described from prenatal larval to early juvenile stages, and related to morphological changes. Embryos and prenatal larvae were extruded from a gravid female from 21 d prior to birth onwards, and released larvae reared and sampled up to 58 d after birth. Eggs hatched in the ovary 14 d prior to birth. At this time, otoliths consisted of a core surrounded by a prominent check, similar to the otolith structure seen in oviparous fishes. Fourteen growth increments had been deposited by birth. The parturition mark it-self comprised a prominent check and narrow growth increment Growth increments were deposited daily from hatching up to 58 d after birth, whereas accessory primordia first appeared in otoliths by ca. 32 d after birth, at a specimen total length of ca. 13 mm. This corresponded to the period during which the larvae metamorphosed into juveniles. Otoliths grew exponentially during the larval stage and linearly during the juvenile stage. when plotted against total length. Growth in total length from hatching to 58 d after birth could be represented by the Gompertz curve.     

Validation of daily increment deposition and early development in the otoliths of Sarotherodon melanotheron

A one-to-one relationship was found between days of rearing and counted daily increments in the otoliths of Sarotherodon melanotheron verifying daily increment deposition. A marked hatch check was found in all otoliths from both the reared fish and the wild specimens. Five to 10 faint prolarval increments were visible but the rate of their formation was not investigated. The rate of increment deposition of S. melanotheron is apparently independent of somatic growth and increments found in the otoliths of this species can therefore be used for ageing.     

Daily growth increments in otoliths of milkfish, Chanos chanos (Forsskål), larvae

The formation of daily growth increments of otoliths was studied in the reared larvae of milkfish. The first growth increment was formed during the yolk–sac reabsorption period c .2 days after hatching, and increment formation continued on a daily schedule regardless of growth rate. The initial incremental zone was of amorphous structure, and the subsequent incremental zone was of needle–shaped crystalline structure; the former structure was formed in the yolk–sac reabsorption period of the larva and the latter in the exogenous feeding period. Accordingly, ageing of milkfish larvae is possible by counting growth increments, and timings within the developmental stage of the larvae can be understood by examining the otolith microstructure.     

Environmental effects on primary increment formation in the otoliths of newlyhatched Arctic charr

Otolith microincrements were investigated in Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus , reared from hatching under various temperatures (1, 3, 5, 7° C) and feeding conditions (starved, fed every third day, fed daily). Larval charr otoliths were marked with oxytetracycline and alizarin complexone. Alizarin complexone was found to be 100 per cent successful in marking otoliths while oxytetracycline marks could be seen in <10 per cent of the otoliths viewed. Otolith microincrements were viewed by light and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the daily nature of increment deposition. Low temperatures (1 and 3° C) and starvation depressed daily increment formation. Increment deposition was found to be daily among the larvae reared at warmer temperatures (5 and 7° C) and fed at least every third day. Scanning electron microscopic analysis allowed us to confirm the results of light microscope increment counts from all temperatures except 1 ° C, where the number of increments enumerated were higher than the number obtained during light microscopy analyses. Increased feeding and warmer temperatures also resulted in increased increment width. The difference in increment number and width seems to be dependent upon fish growth rate which we have found to be affected by both temperature and feeding conditions.     

Otolith Microstructure of Larval Gymnocypris potanini Herzenstein from the Minjiang River in China

Synopsis Otolith microstructure of about 120 Gymnocypris potanini larvae from the Minjiang River in China was examined and analyzed. Larvae had multiple primordia in most lapilli and sagittae, while had only one primordium in a few specimens. There had only one nucleus in otoliths of the larvae, except for some few specimens with 2 nuclei. The transparence of many otoliths differed from center to edge, and part of them could be divided into inner low optically dense zone (LODZ) and outer optically dense zone (ODZ). Based on increment clarity, otoliths of this species could be classified into three types, which were otolith with subtile increments, otolith with almost identified increments, and otolith with fairly clear increments characterized by high contrast. The last two types of otolith accounted for 87.07% in lapilli and 94.46% in sagittae, respectively. Increment clarity of sagitta was higher than that of lapillus. Natural checks were identified in 32.50% lapilli and 48.33% sagittae. These checks primarily located in the first to sixth increment. According to the number of increments in otoliths, the age of this batch larvae was 14 – 22 days, birth date was on June 17 – 25, and average growth rate of body length was 0.8936 ± 0.08769 mm/d.     

Tetracycline tagging in coregonid embryos and larvae

Coregonus peled (Gmelin) embryos at the eyed stage were immersed in tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) solution (600 mg l⁻¹) and fluorescent marks on the otoliths from fish were identified under a UV light microscope. Three weeks after treatment, when the larval fish had hatched, multiple primordia of the sagitta had fluorescent bands whose locations suggest that calcification begins before formation of the otolith's core. Upon hatching, increments were few or absent, and daily increments started forming after hatching. In coregonid larvae immersed in TC solution immediately after hatching, the fluorescent band was only 1 day's growth increment wide in the otolith. The age of larvae based on ring counts after marking corresponded to the actual age, but further studies are required. Triple marks due to 35-h immersions in TC solution separated by 5–7 day feeding periods were clearly readable in the otoliths. One month after treatment the fluorescent marks were identified under UV light on otoliths from every fish. In treated embryos, 38% of fish had marks 3 months after TC immersion, whereas in treated larvae 60–80% of fish grown up to 38.7 mm were marked.     

Patterns of increment width and strontium: calcium ratios in otoliths of juvenile rock blackfish, Girella elevata (M.)

Otoliths of juvenile Girella elevata (M.) were examined to obtain information about the environmental conditions experienced during early life. Patterns of increment deposition and elemental ratios in otoliths were compared in wild fish. A tetracycline experiment indicated that increments were deposited daily in juveniles. Although different patterns in the spacing of increments were found among juveniles collected at different locations and times, the widest increments were always found in the first 40 increments. Strontium: calcium (Sr: Ca) ratios increased with age in the otoliths of most wild G. elevata .
The patterns of increment width and Sr: Ca ratios were not related and, therefore, were probably not under the same relative control by environmental or physiological factors. Although the number of increments can be used to age juvenile G. elevata , the utility of increment widths and Sr: Ca ratios as environmental predictors in this species is questionable without experimental validation.     

The use of otolith microstructure to estimate age in adult Atlantic cod Gadus morhua

Transverse sections of otoliths from Atlantic cod Gadus morhua from the Baltic Sea revealed narrow growth increments. The widths of these increments corresponded to daily increments from fish with known otolith growth rates and were therefore assumed to be daily increments. They exhibited a distinct pattern with increasing distance from the primary primordium. A series of zones with clearly distinguishable increments, first with increasing then with decreasing widths in a dome‐shaped pattern, were separated by zones where no regular increment structure was visible. Increment width seemed to be tightly coupled to the annual cycle in environmental temperature at a depth of 30–60 m, where G. morhua predominantly reside. Between 135 and 200 increments occurred within the different zones, with a non‐significant trend towards lower increment numbers and widths with distance from the primary primordium of the otolith. Increment formation apparently ceased at temperatures < 5–6° C, but growth during the cold months corresponded closely with estimated growth rates. The increment patterns seemed to reflect annual cycles in environmental temperature, and the count of the increment cycles may thus be a promising tool for the determination of the true age of Baltic G. morhua.     

Growth and morphological development of sagittal otoliths of larval and early juvenile Trachurus japonicus

The daily periodicity of growth increment formation in sagittal otoliths of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus was validated by marking otoliths with alizarin complexone (ALC). Analysis of otoliths of known‐age juveniles confirmed that the first increment formed on day 3 after hatching, and was associated with first feeding. A total of 198 specimens, ranging from 2·6 to 49·2 mm in body length (notochord length or standard length) and from 7 to 78 days in age, were collected in the East China Sea and Tosa Bay, and used to examine the association between otolith morphological development and ontogenetic development. The relationship between body length ( L ) and otolith radius ( R ) was significantly described by the linear function L  = 2·65 + 0·0425 R ( n  = 198, r ² = 0·99, P  < 0·001), indicating that somatic growth history can be reconstructed from otolith growth patterns. The otolith was primarily spherical in the preflexion larval stage, and became elongated with notochord flexion. The first secondary primordium formed at c . 25 days, during the middle postflexion stage, and was associated with metamorphosis. By c . 42 days the sagittal otolith was adult‐like in morphology, with the primary growth zone enclosed by the marginal growth zone, except in the anterior rostrum area. Thus age, growth and developmental stages were recorded in sagittal otoliths during the larval and early juvenile stages of jack mackerel.     

齐口裂腹鱼耳石早期生长发育与日轮特征研究

文章研究了在实验室条件下齐口裂腹鱼仔稚鱼耳石早期形态发育与生长特点、第一轮纹出现时间和轮纹沉积规律。结果表明: 在13.5-17.2℃孵化条件下,微耳石和矢耳石在出膜前形成,而星耳石于出膜后第12天出现。在仔稚鱼生长过程中,微耳石由近圆形发育成贻贝形,矢耳石经历近圆形、锲形后发育为箭矢状,星耳石形状由近圆形发育为星芒状。微耳石的前区、背区和腹区及矢耳石的背区和腹区生长呈幂函数关系,而微耳石的后区、矢耳石前区和后区生长以及两对耳石的前后区半径之和与全长均呈线性相关。在(18.50.5)℃和(15.61.1)℃条件下,50%矢耳石样本第一轮纹均在出膜后第 2 天形成(分别为出膜后18h和19h),以后每天形成一轮。微耳石和矢耳石轮纹数均与日龄呈线性相关,方程斜率均与1差异不显著(P0.05),表明两对耳石的轮纹沉积均为日周期性。这些结果为研究齐口裂腹鱼野生种群繁殖期和早期生活史特征等生态学问题提供了重要依据。     

Growth of young-of-the-year mackerel in the Bay of Biscay

The first growth season of young-of-the-year (0+ year) mackerel Scomber scombrus , sampled in the Bay of Biscay, was parameterized to determine growth patterns. Daily increments were identified on sagittae otoliths, for calculation of age and growth of 92 larvae and 54 juveniles over the range 3·6–215·0 mm standard length ( L _S). A Gompertz curve was fitted to the length-at-age data. At the end of the first year of growth L _S was 194·2 mm, with a maximum growth increment of c . 2 mm day⁻¹, observed 62 days after hatching. Backcalculated growth increments for mackerel juveniles, during their larval stage, were higher than those observed for sampled larvae; only 10·9% of sampled larvae were estimated to survive. Growth for north-eastern Atlantic mackerel was slower than that published for north-western Atlantic mackerel. Backcalculated hatching dates for mackerel were consistent with the typical temporal distribution of mackerel spawning in the Bay of Biscay.     

Otolith increment widths and somatic growth rate: the presence of a time-lag

Populations of the estuarine glass fish, Ambassis vachelli Richardson, were used to study the relationship between somatic growth and widths of daily increments in the sagittal otoliths. Variations in the somatic growth of A. vachelli were induced by a series of experimental feeding regimes which included feeding to satiation with two food sources and a starvation treatment. After 33 days of exposure to the experimental feeding regimes significant differences in the mean wet weight of individuals amongst the feeding treatments were recorded. Fishes subject to a starvation treatment showed a significant reduction in wet weight compared to the pretreatment population and the two experimental feeding regimes. No changes in lengths of fishes were recorded.
Validation techniques revealed that daily increments were laid down in the sagittal and asteriscal otoliths. Estimates of ring widths from samples of sagittal otoliths revealed significant treatment effects. The increments of fishes from the starvation treatment showed a significant decline in mean increment width relative to the feeding treatments. This difference was detected only after a 15 day period of experimental feeding. It is suggested that the gradual decline in increment width reflects the exhaustion of readily mobilized energy reserves.     

鳗鲡幼鱼耳石日轮的研究

本文报道采自辽东半岛沿岸鳗鲡(Anguilla japonica)的白仔鳗和经人工培育的当年幼鳗耳石日轮生长的观察结果。白仔鳗和幼鳗耳石平均直径均与体全长成直线相关。12尾白仔鳗耳石的平均日轮数146.3,据此推测其产卵期为11—12月。观察证实从咸淡水转人到淡水生活的幼鳗耳石的环纹有过渡带存在。     

Forensic biological pursuits of exotic fish origins: piranha in Hawaii

Synopsis The otoliths of an adult red-bellied piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri, captured from a reservoir in Hawaii were scrutinized to determine the fish's origin and growth history. Sagittal otoliths of the piranha, P. nattereri, contained internal microincrements visible by Scanning Electron Microscopy. The medial cross sectional plane of the sagitta was resolved to provide counts for the most visible micro-increments. An opportune spawning of confiscated adults provided samples for verification of daily increment formation. Daily formation of microincrements was verified from hatched individuals, and confirmed the suitability of otoliths for revealing daily patterns in the age and growth of piranhas. The central area of the sagitta was diffuse in regards to otolith microstructure and indicated the fish was held in an unchanging environment (aquarium). Therefore, otoliths provide important life history or forensic information incorporated within their structural components. The visualization of daily microincrements in the otolith of a juvenile allowed the determination of age at and since release. Fish grew rapidly after being released into the wild. From otolith increments the date of release for an individual fish can be calculated with acceptable accuracy. As presented, otolith structural information can provide age and growth data which are essential to the management of introduced species.     

三峡库区木洞江段翘嘴鲌早期生长特征研究

2013 年 910 月在三峡库区木洞江段采集翘嘴鲌(Culter alburnus)幼鱼, 摘取微耳石进行耳石微结构分析, 推算了翘嘴鲌幼鱼的日龄及孵化日期, 探讨其早期生活史阶段的生长特征。结果显示, 采集 97 尾翘嘴鲌幼鱼, 体长范围为 4098 mm。翘嘴鲌幼鱼的微耳石形状为不规则扁椭球形, 耳石横截面磨片上具有一个核和一个原基。耳石原基的直径为11.627.8 m, 平均值为(18.63.8) m。耳石核中心到第一个生长轮的距离为(13.04.7) m。翘嘴鲌幼鱼的日龄为 44104d, 推算其孵化日期为 2013 年 6 月 9 日至 8 月 17 日, 高峰期为2013 年7 月9 日至7 月22 日。耳石半径与体长、日龄与体长之间均呈显著的线性关系(P0.05)。耳石日轮宽度随着日龄的增加不断变化显示, 三峡库区翘嘴鲌早期生活史阶段的生长速率不断变化, 日平均生长率为0.774 mm/d。       

An assessment of otoliths,dorsal spines and scales to age the long‐finned gurnard,Lepidotrigla argus,Ogilby, 1910 (Family: Triglidae)

Sagittal otoliths, dorsal spines and scales were critically assessed as structures to potentially determine the age of the long‐finned gurnard, Lepidotrigla argus. Counts were made of opaque growth increments and a readability score was assigned to each structure. Comparisons of growth increment counts were made between structures and between readings. All three structures showed some degree of readability and quantifiable growth increments, but this varied within fishes and between structures. Initial results showed that whole otoliths were more suitable to determine age estimates than dorsal spines and scales. Scales were considered unsuitable due to between reading ageing bias, variation in age estimates between structures, low precision and poor readability for this species. Dorsal spines showed evidence of loss of growth increments due to hollowing of the vascular core, which resulted in underestimation of older individuals in comparison to whole otoliths. Further analysis showed that growth increment counts from whole otoliths were lower for older individuals in comparison to sectioned otoliths. It is suggested that this is because of decreased clarity of growth increments towards the outer margin of whole otoliths in older individuals; this problem was not present with sectioned otoliths. It was concluded that sectioned otoliths were a more suitable structure from which to estimate age of L. argus than were whole otoliths, dorsal spines and/or scales.