Open AccessDiscrimination of species and populations of the genus Cichla (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) in rivers of the Amazon basin using otolithic morphometry
Author(s) -
Marcos de Almeida Mereles,
Raniere Garcez Costa Sousa,
Lorenzo Soriano Antonaccio Barroco,
Caroline Pereira Campos,
Marc Pouilly,
Carlos Edwar de Carvalho Freitas
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
neotropical ichthyology/neotropical ichthyology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.593
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1982-0224
pISSN - 1679-6225
DOI - 10.1590/1982-0224-2020-0149
Subject(s) - biology , otolith , characiformes , zoology , amazon rainforest , genus , ecology , fishery , fish <actinopterygii>
The genus Cichla is a highly diverse group, with 16 species already described. Externally, some species are very similar and discriminating between them may be very difficult. Nevertheless, discrimination of fish stocks is essential for management purposes. Morphometric analyses of otoliths have been successfully used to distinguish species and fish stocks, especially in marine environments. This study evaluated whether sagittal otolith shape can be used to discriminate among the species Cichla temensis, C. monoculus, and C. orinocensis, as well as within populations of C. temensis in rivers of the Amazon. Shape indices and Fourier coefficients were used to describe the shape of the otoliths. Among the groups of species, the morphology of the sagittal otolith of C. temensis was totally distinct from the species C. monoculus and C. orinocensis. While among populations of C. temensis, individuals from the Negro and Jatapú Rivers were different, regardless of the methods used. These results confirm the ability to differentiate species and populations by using the morphology of otoliths. However, more research is needed to verify the role of genetic versus environmental and biotic effects, and thus be able to explain the discrimination observed in otoliths.