Validation of otolith daily increment formation for two temperate syngnathid fishes: the pipefishes Stigmatopora argus and Stigmatopora nigra

Otoliths were used for the first time to successfully validate the age of members of the family Syngnathidae: the spotted pipefish Stigmatopora argus and the wide-bodied pipefish Stigmatopora nigra. Otolith increments were deposited daily in (1) known-age juveniles ranging in age from 0 to 31 days and (2) adults that had been stained with alizarin complexone, and a hatch mark was found on all otoliths which represented day 0. Otolith increment validation will allow development of growth models for S. argus and S. nigra, essential to understanding and managing these exclusive seagrass species.