Milton et al.: Ageing of Lutjanus erythropterus. L. malabancus. and L sebae 



109 



differed from those obtained from sectioned otoliths 

 (Figs. 4A and 5). Fewer rings were counted in whole 

 than in sectioned otoliths but they were linearly re- 

 lated (Fig. 6A; whole otolith count=0.40 x (sectioned 

 otolith count) + 1.02; ^=0.69, P x 170 =368.7, P<0.0001 ). 

 However, the length-at-age data overlapped for all 

 the size classes detected in whole otoliths (Fig. 4A). 

 Both sexes had similar growth parameters based on 

 whole otlith ring counts (P>0.3) (Table 4) and lived 

 to a similar age. 



Lutjanus malabancus — The growth curves express- 

 ing the best fit of length-at-age data from both sec- 

 tioned otoliths and whole otoliths show significant 

 differences (P<0.05) in the estimated growth rates 

 (Fig. 4B). More rings were counted in sectioned 

 otoliths than in whole otoliths from the same fish 

 (Fig. 6B), but were linearly related (whole otolith 

 count=0.64 x (sectioned otolith count) + 0.79; r 2 =0.81, 



1,869 



=3614.7, P<0.001). 



Growth parameters of the reparameterized von 

 Bertalanffy equation of male and female L. mala- 

 baricus did not differ except for L 3 ; this parameter 

 was larger in males (P<0.05). Not all fish collected 

 were sexed, but the growth parameters of the com- 

 bined equation differed from that obtained from the 

 subsets that were sexed (Table 4). 



Lutjanus sebae — Ages based on counts of sectioned 

 and whole otoliths differed significantly in L. sebae 

 over 350 mm SL (P<0.05; Fig. 4C). More rings were 

 detected in the otoliths of these fish when they were 

 sectioned than when examined intact, although the 

 number of rings detected by the two methods were 

 linearly related (Fig. 6C; whole otolith count=0.50 x 

 (sectioned otolith count) + 0.19; r 2 =0.80, F 1 140 =546.0, 

 P<0.0001). 



The growth parameters of the reparameterized von 

 Bertalanffy equation were similar for both sexes 

 (Table 4). Lutjanus sebae were larger at one year (L x ) 



