Photographic Atlas of Fish Otoliths of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

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The shape of fish otoliths is highly species specific. Since otoliths resist degradation better than most other tissues, the shape and size of preserved or undigested otoliths recovered from fossilized sediments, native middens, and the stomachs and droppings of fish predators can be used to reconstruct the species composition of the diet or fish assemblage. This photographic atlas presents light and (or) scanning electron micrographs of 580 pairs of sagittal otoliths representing 288 species, 97 families, and 27 orders of fish from the northwest Atlantic. For most species, multiple individuals across a range of sizes are presented in order to highlight changes in otolith shape with increased size. For 72 of the families, photographs of the lapillar and asteriscal otoliths are also presented.