Using dorsal fin spine sections to investigate the age and growth of devil firefish Pterois miles in the eastern Mediterranean (Cretan and Ionian Seas)
Journal: Frontiers in Marine Science
Year: 2026

Studies on Pterois miles growth in the Mediterranean Sea are scant, while otoliths, traditionally used to age Pterois species, present difficulties in sampling, handling and interpretation. In this study a total of 617 P. miles specimens collected from the Cretan and Ionian Seas were aged by reading transverse sections of the third dorsal spine. The monthly evolution of the spine’s edge type (hyaline or opaque) and marginal increment analysis supported the annual formation of annuli. Lionfish ag