Variations in the shape of the sagitta otolith of Coryphaena hippurus (Actinopterygii: Coryphaenidae) in a resurgence area on the southwest coast of the Atlantic Ocean

ABSTRACT The otoliths are structures species-specific of fishes whose morphologic analysis is an efficient tool for identification and discrimination of stocks and/or populations subjected to clinal variations. This work intends to show the degrees of morphologic variation in sagitta otoliths of dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758, landed by the fishing fleet from Rio de Janeiro. The 164 pairs of otoliths analyzed were obtained from biological samples collected between February 2014 and October 2016. The shape and the contour of sagitta otoliths were characterized by means of six descriptors (area, perimeter, circularity, rectangularity, eccentricity and fractal dimension) and Elliptical Fourier Analysis (EFA), from the images of otoliths. Interannual comparisons of shape descriptors showed significant differences (PERMANOVA p<0.0001) except rectangularity and fractal dimension. The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) between years exhibited a better classification (94.8%) for 2015, when the data was more consistent. The cluster analysis of the 30 harmonics based on Ward’s hierarchical algorithm revealed four otolith morphotypes. The principal components analysis (PCA) from harmonics of the 82 otoliths examined did not show spatial discrimination between fishing areas. Therefore, the observed morphotypes corroborate the existence of a polymorphism in the study area, determined by balanced temporal selection. This supposition can be supported by genetic studies realized in the region, where the hypothesis of two commercial morphotypes was rejected, confirming the presence of a mixed stock.