Author(s)

Madel Floriane Adjibayo Houeto^1*, Marwa Mejri¹, Malek Tazarki¹, Marius Sounouvou², Nicolas Andrialovanirina³, Meriem Ben Ghorbel¹, Pierre Dossou-Yovo⁴, Abdellah Chalh⁵, Pierre Quignard⁶, Monia Trabelsi¹, Kélig Mahé³

¹Laboratory of Ecology, Biology and Physiology of Aquatic Organisms, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
²Institute of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Abomey-Calavi, Benin.
³IFREMER, Unit HMMN, Halieutic Resources Laboratory, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.
⁴Laboratory for Research into the Processing and Conservation of Fishery Products (LAREPROH), University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Abomey-Calavi, Benin.
⁵Unit of Population Genetics and Biological Resources, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
⁶Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, Université Montpellier П, Montpellier, France.

The importance of this study lies in the in-depth exploration of the ecological diversity of otoliths in Elopes lacerta, based on the analysis of data from 260 individuals collected from various sites, including the Porto Novo lagoon, the Cotonou lagoon, Lake Nokoué, and the Atlantic coast in southern Benin. The results highlight significant variations in otolith morphology, establishing relevant links with the biological parameters of the fish at each site. Exploration of the asymmetry between the right and left sides reveals notable distinctions between these two aspects. Analysis of otolith shape thus emerges as a valuable tool for discriminating between stocks and providing a better understanding of ecological variations. The local diversity observed highlights the crucial importance of implementing adaptive management strategies to ensure effective conservation of the species and its habitat.

Analysis, Porto-Novo Lagoon, Cotonou Lagoon, Lake Nokoué, Coast Atlantic

Houeto, M. , Mejri, M. , Tazarki, M. , Sounouvou, M. , Andrialovanirina, N. , Ghorbel, M. , Dossou-Yovo, P. , Chalh, A. , Quignard, P. , Trabelsi, M. and Mahé, K. (2024) Fluctuating Asymmetry of Elopes lacerta (Valenciennes, 1847) Otoliths in the Western African Waters. Open Journal of Marine Science, 14, 41-62. doi: 10.4236/ojms.2024.143003.