Length-weight relationships for 119 fish species of socioeconomic value in the fresh and coastal-estuarine waters of Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/72ane845Keywords:
biometric parameters; fish morphometrics; fisheries management; museum specimens; neotropical ichthyofauna.Abstract
Introduction: Length-weight (L-W) relationships are essential in ichthyology and fisheries science, providing a basis for estimating biomass, evaluating fish condition, and modeling growth. Such information currently is scarce for Costa Rican freshwater and coastal-estuarine fishes.
Objectives: To estimate L-W relationships of 119 fish species with socioeconomic value in Costa Rica, evaluating the potential influence of specimen preservation on these estimates.
Methods: A total of 22 219 individuals representing 119 species (23 families) were analyzed. Fresh specimens (n = 17 988; 111 species) were collected during field surveys conducted between 2009 and 2024 across 306 localities throughout the country. Preserved specimens (n = 4 231; 114 species), collected between 1966 and 2009, were obtained from the Ichthyological Collection of the University of Costa Rica. Standard length (L; cm) and body weight (W; g) were recorded following standard ichthyological protocols. Length-weight relationships were modeled as W = aLb, using least-squares regression of log-transformed data. Differences in linear regression slopes between fresh and preserved specimens were tested through ANCOVA.
Results: Differences between fresh and preserved specimens were evaluated for each species. For 96 species (80.7%), no significant differences were detected; therefore, both datasets were combined and a single L-W relationship was estimated using all available individuals. All regressions were significant (p < 0.001), with r² ≥ 0.91. Most species (101; 84.9%) exhibited positive allometry (b > 3), whereas nine species showed negative allometry (b < 3) and seven displayed isometric growth (b ≈ 3).
Conclusions: This study represents the most comprehensive assessment of L-W relationships for Costa Rican fishes to date, generating new parameters for 83 species lacking previous records. Results confirm the utility of preserved specimens for L-W studies, while also indicating that preservation effects may vary among species and may require separate analyses for fresh and preserved specimens in some cases. The dataset provides an essential baseline for fisheries management, ecological monitoring, and conservation of the Ichthyological resource in Costa Rica and the broader Neotropical region.
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