Biometry analysis of the whiting, Merlangius merlangus (Linneaus, 1758) from the northern Adriatic Sea

Abstract

           Biometry analysis was conducted on 282 specimens of whiting, Merlangius merlangus (Linneaus, 1758) from the northern Adriatic Sea. The total length of all specimens ranged from 16.6 to 33.7 cm. There were twenty one morphometric and nine meristic characteristics measured. Sexual dimorphism was observed in 15 morphometric measurements. The number of rays in the first anal fin is the only meristic character that showed differences between sexes. Relative growth was studied by comparing morphological characters with standard and head length. The results provide the first complete biometric description of this species in the Adriatic Sea. Data were compared with other biometric information available for this species; however it is not possible to fully discriminate the Adriatic population from those in other areas.