Scale surface microstructure and scale size in three mugilid fishes (Teleostei, mugilidae) of Iran from three different habitats

Abstract

A substantial number of species within mugilid family has been recorded from marine, brackish andfreshwater bodies of Iran. Descriptions of these species have been based mainly on morphological andanatomical data; however, the characters related to the fish scales have not up to now been intensivelystudied and employed for the identification of the fish species. The objective of this study is to test whether (i) scale surface morphology and microstructure, and (ii) scale size can be used to discriminatespecies. To achieve these objectives, scales of three species of the genus Liza from three differenthabitats, Liza abu (freshwater, Maharlu basin), Liza klunzingeri (sea, Persian Gulf) and Liza saliens(brackish water, Caspian Sea) have been studied using SEM images, scale measurements, and uniand multivariate statistics. It is opined that scale surface morphology and microstructure may help indistinguishing the species. In addition, scale size and J-indices, represent a valuable tool for speciesseparation, which corroborates earlier studies for the use of these indices in fish taxonomy.