Occurrence of hyperostosis in leatherjacket, Oligoplites saurus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) from Brazilian coastal waters

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hyperostotic bones occur in several families of marine teleosts, however there are few reports on its development in fish from Brazilian waters. The present study identified the occurrence of hyperostosis in specimens of Leatherjacket fish Oligoplites saurus, an important commercial species, using radiographic images. Biometric measurements of four specimens were performed and the affected bones were detected in different levels and regions of the skeleton: Supraoccipital, Pterygiophores, Cleithrum, Hemal Spines and Neural Spines. Bones with hyperostosis represented up to 7% of the weight of the eviscerated fish. The pattern found was consistent with previous reports in the literature for other species of the genus Oligoplites, this being the first report of hyperostosis for O. saurus.

Keywords

• osteology
• swollen bones
• carangidae
• marine teleosts