Using sagittal otoliths for ecomorphological characterization of demersal fish from Adriatic Sea.

The morphology of the sagittal otolith were studied in six fish species associated with different feeding pattern and ecological niche. Three percentage indexes were calculated: A%, L% and EL% for each species. Statistical analysis showed inter-specific differences in the morphological features (PCA, PERMANOVA and post-hoc pair-wise analysis on species groups) differentiating benthic species from those bento-pelagic and necto-benthic. Our results suggested that otoliths could be used as fish ecomorphological marker