A scale atlas for common Mediterranean teleost fishes

Abstract

Regular body scales of 80 species, belonging to 50 families and 16 orders of marine teleost fishes common in the Mediterranean Sea are described using morphological and morphometric characters. The morphological descriptions are based on the scale’s type, shape, features of the anterior, posterior and lateral fields. Further characteristics of the focus, circuli, radii and spines or cteni, if present, are given. Morphometric indices are calculated for scales from the anterior dorsal flank area of each species. As scale shape varies along the body of a given specimen, respective images are provided generally from ten body areas. The current atlas also provides information that complements the characterization of certain taxa. In addition, it is to constitute a valuable instrument for species identification of scales collected from fossiliferous layers, from archaeological sites or from a variety of feeding remains of piscivorous marine predators.