An osteometric approach to reconstruct the length and weight of Lutjanus argentiventris (Perciformes: Lujtanidae) for archaeological and ecological purposes

Abstract

Lutjanus argentiventris presents a large intertropical distribution within the Eastern Pacific, which is as important to fisheries now as it was in the pre-Hispanic period. The purpose of this article is to present an allometric model that enables the size and weight of L. argentiventris to be predicted, using the isolated bones found in archaeological and paleontological contexts or the stomach contents of ichthyophagous species. A modern collection of L. argentiventris from Ecuador was used, composed of 37 individuals covering a wide range of sizes and weights. The total length (TL), standard length (SL), and total fresh weight (W) of each individual was gathered. The TL of the sample ranged between 210 and 760 mm, the SL between 164 and 627 mm and the W ranged between 123 and 6550 g. The most frequent bones (15) and otoliths were chosen and 39 measurements were taken. The total length-weight relationship was W = 6E-06 TL3.1513 with R 2 = 0.997. In general, it was observed that the relationships between the TL and the bone measurements had a strong correlation (R² > 0.95). The allometric model will be useful not only for archaeologists but also for biologists working on historical ecology.

Allometry of Mexican hogfish (Bodianus diplotaenia) for predicting the body length of individuals from two pre‐Columbian sites in the Pearl Island archipelago (Panama)

“…This could be related to unspecified differences among geographical areas that contain B. diplotaenia populations. In a previous allometry study of extant populations of Lutjanus argentiventris from Ecuador and Panama, we also observed size differences that could be related to the geographical location (Martínez‐Polanco & Béarez, 2020).…”

Length estimation of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) using vertebrae

“…Some studies (e.g., Desse & Desse-Berset, 1996;Jelu et al, 2021;Lidour et al, 2018) have only reported R 2 values, to which our R 2 values of >0.97 and >0.98 compare favorably. Others (Gabriel et al, 2012;Marrast & Béarez, 2019;Martínez-Polanco & Béarez, 2020;Rurua et al, 2020;Thieren et al, 2012) report standard error of estimate (SEE) values without defining how they are calculated, which limits comparisons with our RSE values. In any case, R 2 and standard error values are prone to be skewed if sampling is uneven across a given size range and if error is not normally distributed.…”

“…One good example is another large species, meager ( Argyrosomus regius ; Gabriel et al, 2012). Studies on the majority of other fishes must necessarily use particular vertebrae or sections of vertebral columns (Jelu et al, 2021; Marrast & Béarez, 2019; Martínez‐Polanco & Béarez, 2020; Rurua et al, 2020). Clearly, the extent to which researchers will be able to identify rank or type in BFT will depend on the preservation of vertebrae.…”

“…The best performing model was applied to each type as judged from Table S2 [Colour figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com] species, meager (Argyrosomus regius; Gabriel et al, 2012). Studies on the majority of other fishes must necessarily use particular vertebrae or sections of vertebral columns (Jelu et al, 2021;Marrast & Béarez, 2019;Martínez-Polanco & Béarez, 2020;Rurua et al, 2020).…”

“…When dealing with vertebrae rank or type, the use of power regression equations has become common in estimating body length, where model fit is often assessed by the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) and standard error values (Gabriel et al, 2012;Jelu et al, 2021;Marrast & Béarez, 2019;Martínez-Polanco & Béarez, 2020;Rurua et al, 2020). Because fish growth is considered allometric, that is, the relationship between body length and vertebrae dimensions is not linear, power regression models are optimal because they account for this (Reitz et al, 1987).…”