Authors
1
Centre of Excellence in Marine Biology, University of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
2
Department of Key Laboratory of Open-Sea Fishery, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510300, P.R. China
3
Department of Fisheries and Coastal Development, Government of Balochistan, Balochistan, Pakistan
4
National Institute of Maritime Affairs, Bahria University Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
10.22092/ijfs.2026.135843
Abstract
Despite their small size, ponyfishes play a significant role in fisheries, both as catches and bycatches. However, their diversity remains poorly understood due to their similar appearances and limited knowledge. This study evaluates integrating body morphometrics with quantitative and morphological analysis of both sagittal and asteriscus otolith can provide reproducible diagnostic traits that resolve species-level ambiguities and clarify generic placement. Using discriminant function analysis (DFA) of truss network landmarks and otolith shape parameters, we examined 556 specimens representing 15 species from the northern Arabian Sea, including five new regional records. Furthermore, the statistical analysis of DFA revealed strong discriminatory power among genera, with the first four discriminant functions explaining 62.3%, 11.4%, 8.9%, and 6.1% of the variance (eigenvalues 33.85, 6.20, 4.84, and 3.29, respectively). Moreover, morphometrical study of otoliths showed the genera formed distinct clusters, and otolith characters provided consistent, complementary support: Aurigequula equula exhibited the largest sagittal otoliths (mean length 69.29 mm) with pronounced rostra (~15.5 mm) and deep notches (~16.6 mm), whereas members of Deveximentum had the smallest otoliths (2.51–4.15 mm) with markedly shorter rostra and shallower notches. Sagittal and asteriscus otoliths provided complementary diagnostic features, with asteriscus morphology offering novel resolution at species level. Collectively, these results indicate that three species from genus Leiognathus reassigned to their original generic placements under current nomenclatural standards. These findings demonstrate that otolith-based morphometrics, when combined with traditional taxonomy, can strengthen systematic frameworks, improve reproducibility in species identification, and contribute to ecological and evolutionary studies of Leiognathidae.
Keywords
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