Otoliths atlas of 77 fish species from the Iskenderun Bay, Northeastern Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

This photographic atlas presents scanning electron micrographs of the sagittae of 77 marine teleost fish species, belonging to 36 families and 21 orders from the Iskenderun Bay, north-eastern Mediterranean using morphological features and morphometric variables. The morphological description was based on the otolith shape, outline, the shape of sulcus acusticus, ostium, cauda, features of anterior, and the posterior region. Both left (proximal surface) and right (distal surface) otoliths from the same specimen are photographed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Otolith shape indices including form-factor (FF), roundness (RD±SD), aspect ratio (AR), circularity (C), rectangularity (R), and ellipticity (E) are calculated for each species. A total of 76 species could be found in the AFORO database and made comparison, however otoliths of Apogonichthyoides pharaonis and Saurida lessepsianus have not found in the database.