“…Many hard structures have been used to determine the age of pimelodidae. Among these, otoliths, vertebrae, and fin-spines are the structures that have produced the best results (Fenerich et al, 1975;Barthem, 1990;Muñoz-Sosa, 1996;Rêgo et al, 1998;Pérez Lozáno, 1999;Loubens & Panfili, 2000;Alonso, 2002;Mateus & Petrere, 2004). Although few studies compare the age determined by various structures of the same sample, preliminary data indicate that age underestimations tend to result when based on pectoral fin-spines in comparison with those based on dorsal spines (Layher, 1981) and vertebrae (Clay, 1982).…”