Morphometric characteristics of sagitta otolith in Scarus fuscopurpureus (Klunzinger, 1871), Heniochus acuminatus Linnaeus, 1758 and Chaetodon rafflesii Anonymous (Bennet), 1830 of the coral reefs of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

This study aimed to investigate and compare morphometric characteristics of otolith in Scarus fuscopurpureus, Heniochus acuminatus and Chaetodon rafflesii in the coral reefs of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. Sampling lasted from March 2014 to
April 2015. During this period, 26 specimens of S. fuscopurpureus, 8 specimens of H. acuminatus and 11 specimens of C. rafflesii were caught using diving method. Investigation of biometric features of specimen including total length, fork length,
and fish weight, in addition to otolith morphometric characteristics and the biometric parameters, including length, breadth, weight, perimeter and area, were conducted.Results indicateda significant correlation between otolith length and otolith weight, fork length and otolith length and between fish length and weight in most of species. The highest correlation was observed in S. fuscopurpureus. Also, the results show significant difference between otolith area and otolith weight in all
species (p0.05). Otolith width had no significantly different in all species (p>0.05). Therefore, the present study indicated that the particular characteristics of sagitta such as otolith area and otolith weight are useful in species identification.