Synopsis
The ratio between the sensory areas of the sulcus acusticus and the sagittal otolith (S : O ratio) in the species Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus was analyzed using a digital image processing system. Sagittal growth in both species is negatively allometric with respect to total fish length but is more negative in the deeper-dwelling species, Merluccius paradoxus. In contrast, the sulcus acusticus undergoes a relative increase in size, that is, the S : O ratio increases with fish length. There was a clear relationship between the increase in the S : 0 ratio and depth.
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Lombarte, A. Changes in otolith area: sensory area ratio with body size and depth. Environ Biol Fish 33, 405–410 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010955
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010955