Description of the statolith shape of two sympatric ommastrephids in the Mexican Pacific obtained from geometric morphometrics as a tool for identification at the species level

As a contribution to the identification of teuthid species, the objective of this study was to determine the discriminant power of statolith shape using geometric morphometrics for the identification of two ommastrephid squid species from the Mexican Pacific coast. Measurements of statoliths from squids belonging to the family Loliginidae were also included to increase certainty. Species were identified with a 100% correct assignment; hence, statolith shape confirmed the taxonomic value of this structure. A description of statolith morphology for each target species is provided for further use in species identification when other morphological characteristics of the squids are not available.