Validation of daily increment deposition and early growth of mud carp Cirrhinus molitorella

Abstract

In this study, laboratory reared Cirrhinus molitorella from hatching through to the juvenile stage were used to validate daily increment deposition. Lapilli were suitable for ageing C. molitorella. The slope of the linear relationships between increment counts and age was not significantly different from 1 (n = 258, P > 0·05), indicating that growth increments are deposited daily. The first increment following the first-feeding check formed 3 days post hatch (dph). One hundred and twenty-three juveniles, ranging from 36·4 to 84·7 mm in body length (L ), were collected in the Pear River estuary from July to January in both 2014 and 2015 and used to estimate growth rate. The core in the lapillus, consisting of a single primordium, a diffuse area and the first-feeding band, was followed by 20 narrow and poorly contrasted daily increments. Thereafter, increments were wide and well-defined, and, finally became less distinct, but still homogenous after c. 53 dph. The mean increment width increased to the 29th increment and stayed relatively constant up to the 35th increment and then, gradually declined to the edge of the otolith. Wild juveniles were aged from 69 to 178 dph and hatched from the 15 February to 2 September. Growth rate was estimated from the adjusted linear regression of L on age: L = 4·37 + 0·44A (r = 0·60), where A = age. The radius of the core and the regularity and resolution of the increments showed some differences between reared and wild fish. These results are of value for the further study of early life traits and recruitment of C. molitorella.

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

“…Studies have sometimes neglected the timing of the first increment formation (Pitcher, ; Fowler, ) or assumed that it occurred during a particular event in the fish life history (Campana & Neilson, ; Vilizzi, ). Indeed, the first increment may form before hatching in the case of Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum 1792) and Cyprinus carpio L. 1758 (Marshall & Parker, ; Smith & Walker, ) or a few days after the hatching time [ e.g ., Engraulis mordax Girard 1854, Solea solea (L. 1758), Cirrhinus molitorella (Valenciennes 1844)], which can correspond to yolk absorption or to the mouth opening and the first feeding (Brothers et al ., ; Jenkins, ; Lagardère & Troadec, ; Huang et al ., ). Assessing the time of first increment formation is therefore essential, as a failure to do so would lead to a consistent bias in age estimation (Campana, ).…”

“…The validation process is therefore essential to estimate fish age precisely. Previous validation studies on a dozen other cyprinids have shown the deposition of both daily and annual increments in otoliths (Victor & Brothers, 1982;Durham & Wilde, 2008;Ding et al, 2015;Yan et al, 2017;Huang et al, 2017), but a specific validation for each species is still required to avoid misinterpretation (Van Oosten, 1941;Beamish & McFarlane, 1983).…”

Distributions of and Correlations between Cd, Cr, and Hg Concentrations in Suspended Particles and Sediment in Aquaculture Ponds and in Cirrhinus molitorella Tissues

“…C. molitorella are currently often cultured in ponds with little water movement and are generally provided with excess feed containing heavy metals with the aim of achieving high yields and profits. Commercial fish feed with an appropriate heavy metal content can promote fish growth under scientific feeding methods, proper water flow, and a certain amount of submerged vegetation which can absorb heavy metals (Yang et al, 2018;Huang et al, 2017). Overfeeding -when fish are provided with excess commercial feed containing heavy metals-causes environmental pollution and the accumulation of metals in fish tissues (Xing, 2016).…”

The Relationships Between Otolith Dimensions-Total Length and Otolith Features of European Perch (Perca fluviatilis L.,1758) Sampled from Yedikır Dam Lake (Turkey)

“…Otoliths have consisted calcium carbonate located at the inner ear of bony fishes and also they are considered as a true biological and environmental archive of fish life history. Therefore, otoliths are used in different types of studies such as age determination, species identification and discrimination, larval fish ecology, migration of fishes etc (Brazner et al, 2004;Campana, 2005;Popper et al, 2005;Secor, 2010;Huang et al, 2017;Lin et al, 2017;Prichard et al, 2018). This calcified structure shows phenotypic plasticity as inter-and/or intra-specific and inter-and/or intra-populations variations (Annabi et al, 2013;Mejri et al, 2018).…”