International Journal of Marine Science, 2017, Vol.7, No.5, 37-50
39
from each specimen (Figure 2) i.e., total length (
TL
), from the tip of the mouth to the posterior edge of the two
lobes of the caudal fin; standard length (
SL
), from the tip of the mouth to the end of the vertebral column near the
base of the caudal fin; head length (
HL
), from the tip of the mouth to the posterior edge of the operculum; head
height (
HH
), the largest vertical distance of the head; snout length (
SnL
), from the tip of the mouth to the anterior
edge of the eye; eye diameter (
ED
), the horizontal distance between the anterior and posterior edges of the eye;
length of first dorsal fin (
FDF
), from the origin to the posterior end of the 1st dorsal fin; length of second dorsal
fin (
SDF
), from the origin to the posterior end of the 2nd dorsal fin; pectoral fin length (
PFL
), from the base of the
pectoral fin to the tip of the longest ray of the fin; pelvic fin length (
PvFL
), from the base of the pelvic fin to the
tip of the longest ray of the fin; anal fin length (
AFL
), from the origin to the posterior end of the anal fin; caudal
peduncle length (
CPL
), from the posterior end of the anal fin to the edge of the caudal fin; caudal peduncle depth
(
CPD
), the vertical distance at the base of the caudal fin; body height (
BH
), the largest vertical distance of the fish
body. The morphometric measurements are presented in Appendix 1. The specimens were dissected to determine
the sex of the individual and this was based on the shape and appearance of gonads (Bowers, 1954). All the
specimens collected were with well-developed gonads and the data collected are from mature individuals of the
parent stock. There was no problem in the determination of the sex of the specimens.
Figure 1 Map showing the two sampling locations used in this study
Source: GSHHS shoreline data plotted using PBS mapping R package
Figure 2 The morphometric distances measured on
U.moluccensis
(127 mm SL, Jizan, Saudi Arabia), courtesy of S. V. Bogorodsky
