Ontogenetic and intraspecific variability in otolith shape of anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) used to identify demographic units in the Pacific Southeast off Chile

The phenotypical variability in otolith shape of anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) was analysed in three zones (I, II and III) from north to south along the Chilean coast, using juvenile and adult fish. Generalised additive models were used to analyse shape indices and canonical discriminant analysis was used to analyse elliptical Fourier harmonics. The form factor and ellipticity indices varied significantly among the three zones, whereas roundness, circularity and rectangularity indices only showed differences between Zones I and III. Fourier reconstructed outlines for five ontogenetic stages suggested important differences among sampling zones, which were larger for sampling Zone III, where, at the same fish length, otoliths were smaller than those sampled in Zones I and II, at least at the pre-recruit stage. Elliptical Fourier descriptors showed significant differences among the three units, with a total percentage of correct classifications for juveniles of 89 and 74% for raw data and cross-validated cases respectively, compared with >85 and similar to 65% respectively for adult fish. The results support the hypothesis that juveniles and adults of anchoveta have remained segregated throughout their entire, or at least a fraction of, their life cycle, mainly between the extreme northward and southward zones.