Bilateral Asymmetry in Paired Meristic Characters of Pacific Salmon

• Main Author: B. J. Landrum
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Pacific; Sockeye; Pink salmon
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.600.5231; http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/7750/vol20n2-193-202.pdf;jsessionid=6D859CAF541E43A8B92A2B3A3FA42E39?sequence=1

ABSTRACT: The presence, extent, and direction of bilateral asymmetries of lateral line scales, gill rakers, branchiostegal rays, and pectoral fin rays of sockeye, chum, and pink salmon were examined. Some asymmetries were found in all char-acters in each species. Asymmetr ies, considering all species combined, occurred in approximately 72 % of the lateral line scale compar isons, 59 % of the gill raker com-parisons, 70 % of the branchiosregal ray comparisons, and 26 % of the pectoral fin ray comparisons. Bilateral variation in these characters was not conclusively related to sex of the specimens; however, some tendency toward greater asymmetry in branchios tegals of females was shown. Complete evaluation of this tendency will require further examination. Occurrences of asymmetries were evaluated in relation to the reliability of sub-stituting counts from the opposite side when the chosen side was lost or severely damaged. Substitution of lateral line scales of sockeye salmon appeared to be feasible, but in chum salmon the right side counts were significantly greater. (Scale counts from pink salmon were not available, because of the extreme dif-