Short communication: Identification and morphometric descriptions of four dominant families of larval fishes in the estuary of Marudu Bay, Sabah, East Malaysia
Fish larvae are mostly ecologically and morphologically different in comparison with their adult counterparts along their development processes. They occupy different habitats, taking different food resources, and having different predators and different behaviour. During the larval phase, the fish develops from an egg to a larva which has all the fully functional organs. Many species have highly specialized larval morphologies, with various structures (e.g. strong spines on the head) that will be modified and lost upon transition towards adulthood. Fish larvae differ so much from their adults that they are often difficult to identify. Nonetheless, they need to be identified to some level of confidence if larval ecological studies are to be meaningful. Therefore, the positive identification of larvae is necessary. The identity and description of the early life stages of mangrove fish larvae is important to enable more research on fish larvae in the estuarine ecosystem. ... The present study can be a basic method intended to facilitate the identification of fish larvae from the Marudu Bay. Morphological factors are still the main key to identification of fish larvae but to get systematic information on fish larvae one may need to use molecular methods and also morphological variation. Further detailed systematic studies on the fish larvae particularly with the adoption of both molecular methods and morphological variation are needed for more accurate identification and for the purpose of extensive information on fish larval diversity in Sabah waters.
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | article biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2016
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| Subjects: | Biology, Ecology, Fish larvae, Taxonomy, Marudu Bay, Sabah, Malaysia, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/37694 |
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| Summary: | Fish larvae are mostly ecologically and morphologically different in comparison with their adult counterparts along their development processes. They occupy different habitats, taking different food resources, and having different predators and different behaviour. During the larval phase, the fish develops from an egg to a larva which has all the fully functional organs. Many species have highly specialized larval morphologies, with various structures (e.g. strong spines on the head) that will be modified and lost upon transition towards adulthood. Fish larvae differ so much from their adults that they are often difficult to identify. Nonetheless, they need to be identified to some level of confidence if larval ecological studies are to be meaningful. Therefore, the positive identification of larvae is necessary. The identity and description of the early life stages of mangrove fish larvae is important to enable more research on fish larvae in the estuarine ecosystem. ... The present study can be a basic method intended to facilitate the identification of fish larvae from the Marudu Bay. Morphological factors are still the main key to identification of fish larvae but to get systematic information on fish larvae one may need to use molecular methods and also morphological variation. Further detailed systematic studies on the fish larvae particularly with the adoption of both molecular methods and morphological variation are needed for more accurate identification and for the purpose of extensive information on fish larval diversity in Sabah waters. |
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