Unravelling Stock Spatial Structure of Silverside Odontesthes argentinensis (Valenciennes, 1835) from the North Argentinian Coast by Otoliths Shape Analysis

The marine silverside (Odontesthes argentinensis) is an euryhaline species, distributed along the southwest coast of Atlantic Ocean, present in estuaries, brackish coastal lagoons and shallow waters. It a significant economic resource for local fisheries southern Brazil, Uruguay Argentina. aim this work was to contribute knowledge on stock spatial structure silverside, using otolith shape analysis, based samples from nine locations Argentinian Sea, covering large distribution range species. A combination elliptic Fourier descriptors, Wavelet coefficients Shape indices were explored by multivariate statistical methods. application wavelet combined wavelet, Indices most effective variables discriminate between sampling sites (7.42 total error). PERMANOVA analysis revealed differences north versus south (p < 0.0001). results obtained show that O. argentinensis presents North–South gradient with marked extreme localities (Mar del Plata, Quequén) more elliptical shapes than those (San Blas, San Antonio Este) isolated group conformed Puerto Lobos.