Geometric morphometrics in the sulcus acusticus of the sagittae otolith as tool to discriminate species of the genus Centropomus (Centropomidae: Perciformes) from the southeastern Gulf of California

Due to the limited morphological differentiation among species of the genus Centropomus and the increased overlap of their meristic characters, in this study, we examined 114 sagittae otoliths by geometric morphometrics. Otoliths belonged to four species: Centropomus robalito (Jordan and Gilbert, 1881) Centropomus medius (Gunter, 1864), Centropomus nigrescens (Gunter, 1864), and Centropomus viridis (Lockington, 1877) collected by artisanal fishing carried out in the “Marismas Nacionales Nayarit” Biosphere Reserve and the continental shelf of the state of Nayarit. According to the canonical variate analysis, all four species were discriminated (100% correct) evidencing the high taxonomic value of sagittae otolith for these taxa. In our study, the morphology of sagittae otolith of four species of the genus Centropomus is documented for the first time.