Gender Determination of Pearl Mullet by Geometric Morphometric Method

Abstract

Pearl mullet (Alburnus tarichi, Güldenstadt 1814) is an endemic fish species of great importance worldwide. This species is an important economic and cultural resource for the region since it lives in Lake Van, one of the world's largest sodic lakes. It is often not possible to determine the sex of fish based on morphological characteristics. In this study, landmark-based geometric and morphometric method was preferred to identify the shape difference between male and female sexes of pearl mullet fishes species in Lake Van. A total of 100 pearl mullet fish (50 females and 50 males) were used as material. Significant morphological differences were found between the male and female sexes (P<0.001 in canonical analysis of variance). These differences were found that the male fishes were longer than the female fishes on the lateral side and the head of the male fishes were larger than the female fishes. In addition, female fishes formed a deeper abdominal line towards the ventral side in the wireframe graph. The presence of a large gill positioned cranially is another important feature that distinguishes female fishes from male fishes. Lateral and ventral body differences between the sexes were statistically determined by ANOVA test results.