Depth-Related Changes in Sagitta Morphology in Six Macrourid Fishes of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

Variation in sagitta size and dimensions (length, height, width, mass) was studied in six macrourid species of the eastern Pacific and western North Atlantic whose minimum depths of occurrence range from 227-3,400 m. Sagitta length vs head length progressively decreased with increasing depth between...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Copeia 1985-12, Vol.1985 (4), p.1011-1017
Main Author: Wilson, Raymond R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agnatha. Pisces
Animal morphology
Average linear density
Biological and medical sciences
Biological taxonomies
Carbonates
Caves
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Marine fishes
Oceans
Otolith organs
Population size
Sea water
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Variation in sagitta size and dimensions (length, height, width, mass) was studied in six macrourid species of the eastern Pacific and western North Atlantic whose minimum depths of occurrence range from 227-3,400 m. Sagitta length vs head length progressively decreased with increasing depth between species, as sagittae became more rounded and dome-shaped. Ratios of log of sagitta mass/length and width/length showed reductions paralleling the decrease in sagitta length vs head length. Atlantic species had larger sagittae than their Pacific congeners inhabiting similar depths. It is suggested that sagitta size in macrourids is controlled by environmental factors and thus may have little taxonomic significance.
ISSN:0045-8511
1938-5110
DOI:10.2307/1445256