Otolith shape variation in the Ornate goby, Istigobius ornatus (Teleostei: Gobiidae), collected along the intertidal coasts of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, was analysed using Wavelet transform technique in the ShapeR package to determine population differentiation and structure. There were significant differences (P < 0.001, ANOVA) among geographically distant populations based on the variation in the anterior and posterior otolith rims. However, otolith shapes of neighbouring populations were more similar to each other (P > 0.01). Mantel test showed a positive correlation between the Euclidean distance of otolith shape and geographical distances among populations (r = 0.93, P < 0.002). This indicates that levels in otolith shape resemblance between populations are dependent on geographic distance. Different scenarios are discussed to explain the pattern of otolith shape variation and population structure. Among possible key mechanisms responsible for population differentiations are isolation by distance, Late Pleistocene sea level fluctuations, and ecological and geographical differences between the studied locations. This study highlights otolith shape efficiency as an exceptionally convenient morphological marker to study intraspecific-level evolutionary and contemporary phenomena in marine fish.

中文翻译：

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波斯湾和阿曼海的华丽虾虎鱼 Istigobius ornatus (Teleostei: Gobiidae) 的种群结构，由使用 ShapeR 的耳石形状变化确定

使用 ShapeR 包中的小波变换技术分析了沿波斯湾和阿曼海的潮间带收集的 Ornate 虾虎鱼 Istigobius ornatus（Teleostei：Gobiidae）的耳石形状变化，以确定种群分化和结构。基于前耳石边缘和后耳石边缘的变化，地理上遥远的人群之间存在显着差异（P < 0.001，方差分析）。然而，相邻种群的耳石形状彼此更相似（P > 0.01）。Mantel 检验显示耳石形状的欧几里得距离与种群间的地理距离呈正相关（r = 0.93，P < 0.002）。这表明种群之间耳石形状相似度的水平取决于地理距离。讨论了不同的场景来解释耳石形状变化和种群结构的模式。导致种群分化的可能关键机制包括距离隔离、晚更新世海平面波动以及研究地点之间的生态和地理差异。这项研究强调了耳石形状效率作为一种非常方便的形态标记来研究海洋鱼类的种内进化和当代现象。