Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Relationships between sagittal otolith size and body size of Terapon jarbua (Teleostei, Terapontidae) in Malaysian waters

  • Aquaculture and Fisheries
  • Published:
Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Length-weight relationship provides basic information of a fish’s condition while the morphometric data of otolith has been traditionally used to determine the range of fish sizes for various purposes. The length-weight relationship of Terapon jarbua (Forskål, 1775) was examined from 165 specimens, while 132 specimens were used in sagittal otolith biometry measurements. Fish specimens were obtained from various locations in Malaysia including Pahang, Selangor, Sarawak, and Sabah. The total length of fish ranged 12.5-32.5 cm, while the total weight ranged 26.28-444.30 g. The otolith length ranged 0.423-1.070 cm, and the otolith weight was 0.010 3-0.157 2 g. The specimens displayed a mixture of positive and negative allometry growth as indicated by fluctuating b values between 2.74 and 3.15. The overall coefficient of determination (R 2 ) between fish length and weight was 0.972 9, which implies a strong correlation. All regressions between the fish length and otolith dimensions were highly significant (P <0.001). The otolith dimensions found to be most closely related to the fish total length was the otolith weight. This was supported by the regression model showing a high R 2 value of 86.57%. The aspect ratio of otolith was 1.80±0.14 (mean±SD). Results confirm that the otolith growth reflects the somatic growth of T. jarbua. The length-weight relationship explained the growth conditions of the fishes in each location while the overall b value of 2.91 indicates that the condition of T. jarbua grown in Malaysian waters during the study period was generally in good condition. This study contributed to the database on the morphometric data of otolith of T. jarbua as well as the first report on fish length-weight relationship for T. jarbua in Malaysia.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahmed Q, Ali Q M, Bilgin S. 2015. Seasonal changes in condition factor and weight-length relationship of Tiger Perch, Terapon Jarbua (Forsskål, 1775) (Family- Terapontidae) collected from Korangi fish habour, Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Marine Sciences, 24 (1-2): 19–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed Q, Benzer S. 2015. Length-weight relationship in Terapon puta (Cuvier, 1829) collected from Karachi Fish Harbour. J ournal of Appl ied Environ mental and Biol ogical Sci ence, 5 (10): 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Busaidi H K, Jawad L A, Al-Balushi A H. 2017. Relationships between fish and otolith size of the Blackspot Snapper Lutjanus ehrenbergii (Peters, 1869) collected from the coast of Muscat City, Sea of Oman. International Journal of Marine Science, 7 (40): 386–393, https://doi.org/10.5376/ijms.2017.07.0040.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aydin R, Calta M, Sen D, Coban M Z. 2004. Relationships between fish lengths and otolith length in the population of Chondrostoma regium (Heckel, 1843) inhabiting Keban Dam Lake. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 7 (9): 1 550–1 553, https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2004.1550.1553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bayhan B, Sever T M, Taşkavak E. 2008. Length-weight relationships of seven flatfishes (Pisces: Pleuronectiformes) from Aegean Sea. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 8 (2): 377–379.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campana S E, Thorrold S R. 2001. Otoliths, increments, and elements: keys to a comprehensive understanding of fish populations? Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 58 (1): 30–38, https://doi.org/10.1139/f00-177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang L M, Joung S J, Wu C C, Su W C, Wu L J. 2008. Reproductive biology of Thornfish Terapon jarbua from the southwestern waters off Taiwan. Journal of the Fisheries Society of Taiwan, 35 (4): 335–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chanthran S S D, Lim P E, Li Y, Liao T Y, Poong S W, Du J, Hussein MAS, Sade A, Rumpet R, Loh K H. 2020. Genetic diversity and population structure of Terapon jarbua (Forskål, 1775) (Teleostei, Terapontidae) in Malaysian waters. ZooKeys, 911: 139–160, https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.911.39222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christianus A, Saad C R. 2009. Traditional uses of horseshoe crabs in Malaysia and Thailand. In: Tanacredi J T, Botton M L, Smith D R eds. Biology and Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs. Springer, New York. 616p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corral J M, Soliman V S, Yamaoka K. 2013. Otolith and body length relations in the spiny Siganid (Siganus spinus Linnaeus 1758). Asia Life Sciences, 22 (1): 303–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cottrell P E, Miller E H, Trites A W. 1996. Assessing the use of hard parts in faeces to identify harbour seal prey: results of captive-feeding trials. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 74 (5): 875–880, https://doi.org/10.1139/z96-101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Department of Fisheries Malaysia. 2009. Valid Local Name of Malaysian Marine Fishes. Department of Fisheries Malaysia, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, 180p. https://www.fishbase.se/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=85449

    Google Scholar 

  • Du J, Loh K H, Hu W, Zheng X, Amri AY, Ooi J L S, Ma Z, Rizman-Idid M, Chan A A, 2019. An updated checklist of the marine fish fauna of Redang Islands, Malaysia. Biodiversity Data Journal, 7: e47537, https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.7.e47537.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faridah M, Ismail N, Ahmad A B, Manca A, Rahman M Z F A, Bahri M F S, Sofa M F A M, Ghaffar I H A, Alia’m A A, Abdullah N H, Kasturi M M M. 2015. The population size and movement of coastal horseshoe crab, Tachypleus gigas (Müller) on the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. In: Carmichael R H, Botton M L, Shin P K S, Cheung S C eds. Changing Global Perspectives on Horseshoe Crab Biology, Conservation and Management. Springer, Cham. p.213–228, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19542-1_11.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fortaleza M A, Uy R C L, Elumba M E, Nañola Jr C L. 2019. Age-growth parameters of Crescent Grunter, Terapon jarbua (Forsskål, 1775) in Mindanao, Philippines. Philippine Journal of Natural Sciences, 24: 42–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Froese R, Pauly D. 2018. FishBase. World Wide Web Electronic Publication. http://www.fishbase.org. Accessed on 13 February 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  • Froese R, Tsikliras A C, Stergiou K I. 2011. Editorial note on weight-length relations of fishes. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria, 41 (4): 261–263, https://doi.org/10.3750/AIP2011.41.4.01.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Froese R. 2006. Cube law, condition factor and weight-length relationships: history, meta-analysis and recommendations. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 22 (4): 241–253, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2006.00805.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gauldie R W. 1988. Function, form and time-keeping properties of fish otoliths. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology, 91 (2): 395–402, https://doi.org/10.1016/0300-9629(88)90436-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gumanao G S, Saceda-Cardoza M M, Mueller B, Bos A R. 2016. Length-weight and length-length relationships of 139 Indo-Pacific fish species (Teleostei) from the Davao Gulf, Philippines. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 32 (2): 377–385, https://doi.org/10.1111/jai.12993.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison T D. 2001. Length-weight relationships of fishes from South African estuaries. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 17 (1): 46–48, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0426.2001.00277.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harvey J T, Loughlin T R, Perez M A, Oxman D S. 2000. Relationship between fish size and otolith length for 63 species of fishes from the Eastern North Pacific Ocean. NOAA Technical Report NMFS, 150: 1–36. https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/3159. Accessed on 2019-02-08.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hile R. 1936. Age and Growth of the Cisco, Leucichthys artedi (Le Sueur), in the Lakes of the Northeastern Highlands, Wisconsin. Government Printing Office, Washington. p.211–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong S S, Bang S W, Kim Y O, Han M S. 2002. Effects of rainfall on the hydrological conditions and phytoplankton community structure in the riverine zone of the Pal’tang reservoir, Korea. Journal of Freshwater Ecology, 17 (4): 507–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussain S M, Paperno R, Khatoon Z. 2010. Length-weight relationships of fishes collected from the Korangi-Phitti Creek area (Indus delta, northern Arabian Sea). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 26 (3): 477–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Isa M M, Rawi C S M, Rosla R, Shah S A M, Shah A S R M. 2010. Length-weight relationships of freshwater fish species in Kerian River Basin and Pedu Lake. Research Journal of Fisheries and Hydrobiology, 5 (1): 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones R E, Petrell R J, Pauly D. 1999. Using modified lengthweight relationships to assess the condition of fish. Aquacultur al Engineering, 20 (4): 261–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalaycı F, Samsun N, Bilgin S, Samsun O. 2007. Lengthweight relationship of 10 fish species caught by bottom trawl and midwater trawl from the Middle Black Sea, Turkey. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 7 (1): 33–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keys A B. 1928. The weight-length relation in fishes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 14 (12): 922–925.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan S A, Lyla P S, John B A, Khan S A, Lyla P S, John B A, Kuamr C P, Murugan S, Jalal K C A, Lamb T. 1987. The clustal-X windows interface: flexible strategies for multiple sequence alignment aided by quality analysis tools. Biotechnology, 9 (3): 489–522.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavergne E, Zajonz U, Sellin L. 2013. Length-weight relationship and seasonal effects of the summer monsoon on condition factor of Terapon jarbua (Forsskål, 1775) from the Wider Gulf of Aden including Socotra Island. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 29 (1): 274–277, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2012.02018.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Letourneur Y, Kulbicki M, Labrosse P. 1998. Length-weight relationship of fishes from coral reefs and lagoons of New Caledonia: an update. Naga, the ICLARM Quarterly, 21 (4): 39–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manoharan J, Gopalakrishnan A, Varadharajan D, Udayakumar C, Priyadharsini S. 2013. Length-weight relationship of crescent perch Terapon jarbua (Forsskal) from Parangipettai Coast, south east coast of India. Journal of Aquaculture Research & Development, 4 (4): 1000181, https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-9546.1000181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitra B, Naser M. 1987. Length-weight relationship in Clarius Batrachus (Linn.). Proceedings of the Zoological Society, Calcutta, 36: 29–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohamad F, Manca A, Ahmad A, Fawwaz M, Sofa A M, Alia’M A A, Ismail A N. 2016. Width-weight and lengthweight relationships of the tri-spine horseshoe crab, Tachypleus tridentatus (Leach, 1819) from two populations in Sabah, Malaysia: implications for population management. Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 11 (1): 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nandikeswari R, Sambasivam M, Anandan V. 2014. Length weight relationship of Terapon jarbua (Forsskal, 1775) from Puducherry waters. International Journal of Bioengineering and Life Science, 8 (3): 271–275, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1091772.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nedreaas K. 1990. Age determination of northeast Atlantic Sebastes species. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 47 (2): 208–230, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icesjms.2005.01.018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly D, Cabanban A, Torres Jr F S B. 1996. Fishery biology of 40 trawl-caught Teleosts of Western Indonesia. In: Pauly D, Martosubroto P eds. Baseline Studies of Biodiversity: the Fish Resource of western Indonesia. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, Philippines. p.135–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radhi A M, Fazlinda M F N, Amal M N A, Rohasliney H. 2018. A review of length-weight relationships of freshwater fishes in Malaysia. Transylvanian Review of Systematical and Ecological Research, 20 (1): 55–68, https://doi.org/10.1515/trser-2018-0005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao D V, Devi K, Rajan P. 2000. An Account of Ichthyofauna of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bay of Bengal. Zoological Survey of India. p.1–434.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss M J. 1991. The Allometry of Growth and Reproduction. Cambridge University Press, New York. 198p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riede K. 2004. Global Register of Migratory Species: from Global to Regional Scales. Final Report of the R&DProjekt 808 05 081. Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Bonn, Germany. 329p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saleem B M, Farooq R Y, Masood Z. 2016. Length-weight relationship of Epinephelus diacanthus (Family Serranidae; sub-family Epinephelinae) collected from Karachi fish harbour, Pakistan. FUUAST Journal of Biology, 6 (2): 225–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • See M, Marsham S, Chang C W, Chong V C, Sasekumar A, Dhillon S K, Ioh K H. 2016. The use of otolith morphometrics in determining the size and species identification of eight mullets (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) from Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana, 45 (5): 735–743.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaari F, Mustapha M A. 2017. Factors influencing the distribution of chl-a along coastal waters of east peninsular Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana, 46 (8): 1 191–1 200, https://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2017-4608-04.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuset V M, Lombarte A, Assis C A. 2008. Otolith atlas for the western Mediterranean, north and central eastern Atlantic. Scientia Marina, 72 (S1): 7–198, https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2008.72s17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vari R P. 1978. The Terapon Pp erches (Percoidei, Teraponidae): a Cladistic Analysis and Taxonomic Revision.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waessle J A, Lasta C A, Favero M. 2003. Otolith morphology and body size relationships for juvenile Sciaenidae in the Río De La Plata estuary (35-36 S). Scientia Marina, 67 (2): 233–240, ).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X H, Qiu Y S, Zhu G P, Du F Y, Sun D R, Huang S L. 2011. Length-weight relationships of 69 fish species in the Beibu Gulf, northern South China Sea. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 27 (3): 959–961.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams T, Bedford B C. 1974. The use of otoliths for age determination. In: Bagenal T B ed. The Ageing of Fish. Unwin Brothers Ltd, Old Working, England. p.114–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wootton R J. 1990. Ecology of Teleost Fishes. Chapman & Hall, London. p.159–195.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Yamagawa H. 1994. Length-weight relationship of Gulf of Thailand fishes. Naga, the ICLARM Quarterly, 17 (4): 48–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zakaria M Z, Jalal K C A, Ambak M A. 2000. Length weight relationship and relative condition factor of Sebarau, Hampala Macrolepidota (van Hasselt) in Kenyir Lake, Malaysia. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 3 (5): 721–724, https://doi.org/10.3923/pjbs.2000.721.724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zengin M, Saygin S, Polat N. 2015. Otolith shape analyses and dimensions of the anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus L. in the Black and Marmara Seas. Sains Malaysiana, 44 (5): 657–662.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J D, Song B L, Chen G. 2002. Study on the age and growth of Therapon jarbua. Marine Sciences, 26 (7): 62–66. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences and University of Malaya for providing logistics support to carry out this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia

    Shyama Sundari Devi Chanthran, Phaik Eem Lim, Sze-Wan Poong & Kar-Hoe Loh

  2. Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia

    Shyama Sundari Devi Chanthran

  3. Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Jianguo Du

  4. Fujian Provincial Station for Field Observation and Research of Island and Coastal Zone in Zhangzhou, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Jianguo Du

  5. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Jianguo Du

Authors
  1. Shyama Sundari Devi Chanthran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Phaik Eem Lim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sze-Wan Poong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jianguo Du
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kar-Hoe Loh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kar-Hoe Loh.

Additional information

Supported by the University of Malaya, Research University Grants (No. RU009E-2018), the Top 100 Universities in the World Fund (No. TU001-2018), and the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund project “Monitoring and conservation of the coastal ecosystem in the South China Sea”

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chanthran, S.S.D., Lim, P.E., Poong, SW. et al. Relationships between sagittal otolith size and body size of Terapon jarbua (Teleostei, Terapontidae) in Malaysian waters. J. Ocean. Limnol. 39, 372–381 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-9193-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-9193-7

Keyword

Search

Navigation