Scale Surface Microstructure and Scale Size in Three Mugilid Fishes (Teleostei, Mugilidae) of Iran from Three Different Habitats

Year 2014, Volume: 73 Issue: 1, 31 - 42, 27.11.2014

Hamid Reza Esmaeili Roozbehan Khaefi Golnaz Sayyadzadeh Mohadeseh Tahami Benafsheh Parsi Ali Gholamifard

Abstract

A substantial number of species within mugilid family has been recorded from marine, brackish and
freshwater bodies of Iran. Descriptions of these species have been based mainly on morphological and
anatomical data; however, the characters related to the fish scales have not up to now been intensively
studied and employed for the identification of the fish species. The objective of this study is to test
whether (i) scale surface morphology and microstructure, and (ii) scale size can be used to discriminate
species. To achieve these objectives, scales of three species of the genus Liza from three different
habitats, Liza abu (freshwater, Maharlu basin), Liza klunzingeri (sea, Persian Gulf) and Liza saliens
(brackish water, Caspian Sea) have been studied using SEM images, scale measurements, and uni
and multivariate statistics. It is opined that scale surface morphology and microstructure may help in
distinguishing the species. In addition, scale size and J-indices, represent a valuable tool for species
separation, which corroborates earlier studies for the use of these indices in fish taxonomy.

Keywords

Mugilid fish, scale ultrastructure, habitat, taxonomy

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