MORPHOMETRIC VARIATIONS OF RED-SPOT EMPEROR Lethrinus Lentjan IN SAUDI COASTAL WATERS OF THE ARABIAN GULF

Fish from the family Lethrinidae account for a significant amount of the catch from both the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf in Saudi Arabia, with the species Lethrinus lentjan (Lacepede, 1802) being one of the most important. Twenty-three morphometric characters were explored using 100 Red-Spot emperors Lethrinus lentjan fish obtained from Saudi coastal waters of the Arabian Gulf between November 2021 and January 2022. The results show that the linear regression equations best reflected the link between morphometric measures and total length or head length. Morphometric traits of the Lethrinus lentjan showed allometric growth except for PFH and NL. The results in the present study indicate that accurately morphological measurements and ratios to total length or head length can be used to estimate other morphological characters in Lethrinus lentjan.