Ximena Navoa, Cinthia Ibarra, Kevin Jacobi, Alessandra Pasti, Nelson Bovcon

Estimación de la longitud total y el peso de Helcogrammoides cunninghami (Perciformes, Tripterygiidae) de Playa Santa Isabel (Chubut, Argentina) a partir de otolitos, huesos craneales y de la cintura escapular

Introduction

Estimación de la longitud total y el peso de helcogrammoides cunninghami (perciformes, tripterygiidae) de playa santa isabel (chubut, argentina) a partir de otolitos, huesos craneales y de la cintura escapular. Estima la longitud y peso de Helcogrammoides cunninghami (Chubut, Argentina) a partir de otolitos y huesos. Esencial para ecología trófica y el rol del pez en dietas de depredadores.

Abstract

En el presente trabajo, se generaron regresiones para estimar el peso húmedo a partir de la longitud total, y el peso húmedo y la longitud total a partir de medidas de otolitos, huesos craneales y de la cintura escapular de Helcogrammoides cunninghami. No se encontraron diferencias en la relación peso húmedo-longitud total entre machos y hembras, observándose un crecimiento isométrico entre el peso húmedo y la longitud total. Las medidas de los huesos explicaron mejor que los otolitos los cambios en el peso y la longitud total de los ejemplares de H. cunninghami. Las ecuaciones obtenidas son una herramienta para la investigación en ecología trófica a fin de evaluar el rol de H. cunninghami en la dieta de depredadores piscívoros.

Review

This manuscript presents a valuable study focused on developing regression models to estimate total length and wet weight of *Helcogrammoides cunninghami* from Playa Santa Isabel, Argentina, using measurements from otoliths, cranial bones, and pectoral girdle bones. Such morphometric relationships are fundamental tools in various ecological disciplines, particularly in trophic ecology for dietary analysis of piscivorous predators and in paleoecology for reconstructing past populations from skeletal remains. The work addresses a common challenge in ecological research by providing practical equations for a species where direct measurement might be unfeasible, thereby contributing significantly to our understanding of this specific fish's role in its ecosystem. A key finding of the study is the establishment of robust regressions for estimating both wet weight and total length, noting an isometric growth pattern and the absence of significant differences in the wet weight-total length relationship between sexes. This provides important baseline biological information for *H. cunninghami*. Most notably, the research highlights that cranial and pectoral girdle bone measurements were more effective predictors of both weight and length than otoliths. This comparative analysis offers a significant methodological insight, challenging the often-assumed superiority of otoliths in such estimations and suggesting alternative hard parts that could be more informative for certain species or contexts. The equations derived are explicitly positioned as valuable tools for trophic ecology studies, directly enabling better assessment of *H. cunninghami*'s contribution to predator diets. While the abstract provides a compelling overview, the full manuscript would benefit from detailed descriptions of the statistical methodologies employed, including specifics on regression types, sample sizes for each bone category, and measures of model fit (e.g., R-squared, standard errors). Further discussion on the potential reasons why post-cranial bones performed better than otoliths, perhaps in relation to bone morphology or preservation potential, would enhance the paper's theoretical contribution. Despite these potential areas for elaboration in the full paper, this study offers a robust and practically applicable set of tools, providing critical data for understanding the trophic dynamics and population ecology of *Helcogrammoides cunninghami* in the South Atlantic, and potentially informing similar studies on other small benthic fish species.

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