Sagitta otolith characterization of the squaretail duckbill Bembrops heterurus Miranda-Ribeiro, 1903 (Teleostei: Percophidae) in the South-Southeast-region of Brazil

The squaretail duckbill Bembrops heterurus is a demersal species occurring at depths ranging from 80 to 600m between Rio de Janeiro and Uruguay. Recent surveys have shown a great abundance of this species, where it fulfils a key ecological role in the food-chain of the outer continental shelf and upper slope ecosystem. Despite its importance, there are no studies focusing on B. heterurus, except for one concerning trophic relationships. Taking into account the importance of otolith characterization in terms of species-specific structure and its application in populational and fishery management studies, morphological (11 features) and morphometric (15 measurements) analyses of B. heterurus sagitta were realized. The relative growth of otoliths was also analyzed in relation to body length and otolith measurements, the results of which were presented and discussed.