The utricular otoliths, lapilli, of teleosts: Their morphology and relevance for species identification and systematics studies

Abstract

The present study describes the general morphology of the utricular otoliths, lapilli, of teleost fishes, proposes a terminology for their parts, identifies their two major morphological types, provides some examples of their use in species identification, and discusses their usefulness in studies of fish phytogeny and systematics.