SUMMARY:The sagittal otolith of 348 species, belonging to 99 families and 22 orders of marine Teleostean fishes from the north and central eastern Atlantic and western Mediterranean were described using morphological and morphometric characters. The morphological descriptions were based on the otolith shape, outline and sulcus acusticus features. The morphometric parameters determined were otolith length (OL, mm), height (OH, mm), perimeter (P; mm) and area (A; mm 2 ) and were expressed in terms of shape indices as circularity (P 2 /A), rectangularity (A/(OL×OH)), aspect ratio (OH/OL; %) and OL/fish size. The present Atlas provides information that complements the characterization of some ichthyologic taxa. In addition, it constitutes an important instrument for species identification using sagittal otoliths collected in fossiliferous layers, in archaeological sites or in feeding remains of bony fish predators.
SUMMARY: The present study describes the general morphology of the utricular otoliths, lapilli, of teleost fishes, proposes a terminology for their parts, identifies their two major morphological types, provides some examples of their use in species identification, and discusses their usefulness in studies of fish phylogeny and systematics.Keywords: utricular otoliths, lapillus, morphology, identification, phylogeny, systematics. -El presente trabajo describe la morfología general de los otolitos utriculares, lapilli, de los peces teleósteos, propone una terminología para sus partes, identifica sus dos principales tipos morfoló-gicos, aporta algunos ejemplos de su utilización en la identificación de especies, y discute su utilidad en estudios de filogenia y sistemática de peces.
RESUMEN: LOS OTOLITOS UTRICULARES, LAPILLI, DE LOS TELEÓSTEOS
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