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Morphometric characteristics of the alimentary tract of deep-sea Mediterranean teleosts in relation to their feeding habits

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Abstract

The morphological and morphometric characteristics of the alimentary tract of 339 specimens of 13 species of fishes caught in the Catalan Sea between 960 and 2256 m, during 1987 and 1988 have been studied. No relationship was found between the number of gill rakers or/and pyloric caecae and standard length. Stomach, intestine and standard lengths all increased allometrically and remained proportionate. Interspecific changes in intestine length were less than those of the stomach. All fishes analysed had relatively short intestines (between 27 and 90 standard length).

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Communicated by J. M. Pérès, Marseille

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Carrassón, M., Matallanas, J. Morphometric characteristics of the alimentary tract of deep-sea Mediterranean teleosts in relation to their feeding habits. Marine Biology 118, 319–322 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349799

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349799

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