Glossary of terms used (Jensen (1965), with modification).
| Term | - | (Spanish equivalent) | - | synonyms | - | definition |
(A) Amstrong - A measure used in microscopy equal to the 10 millionth part of 1 mm.
Age - (edad) - Period since birthday (in days, months or years).
Annual class - (clase anual) - Group of fish born the same year. The year class is based on an arbitrary birthday according to maximum spawning period, international agreements, or the capture date.
Annual ring - (anillo anual) - annulus - Seasonal ring: Annually formed growth structures.
Annulus - Fixed-periodicity concentric ring allowing age determination. These rings appear opaque or hyaline (transparent) depending on optical refraction and generally attributed to fast and slow growth periods, respectively.
Bands - (bandas) - Rings, zones, areas: Auxiliary terms used to describe growth structures.
Check - (discontinuidad) - An abrupt discontinuity in an otolith ring or structure.
Cohort (cohorte) - Group of fish born during the same spawning period and beginning life together.
Crystalline otoliths - (otolitos cristalinos) - Fully or partially anomalous otoliths, made up of calcite and which cannot be used for age determination.
Focus - (foco) - origin: the hypothetical or real point on the otolith where the count begins, or which is used as the source of the measurements.
Focus - (nucleolo) - The area or areas with no growth structures around the primordial otolith.
Hyaline ring - (anillo hialino) - Slow growth ring: ring through which light can pass.
Increment - (incremento) - Daily growth increment, daily ring: a growth structure formed daily made up of two zones in which calcium and organic matter predominate; respectively.
μm - Micra - (micrómetro) - A measure used in microscopy equivalent to one thousandth of a millimetre (1 mm = 1 000, μm = 10 000 000 A).
Marginal increment - (incremento marginal) - Edge, border: the area laid down just after the last identifiable growth structure at the edge of the otolith.
Nucleus - (nucleo) - Otolith zone formed just before the first ring.
Opaque ring, fast growth ring - (anillo opaco) - Fast growth ring: a ring too dense to allow the passage of light.
Primordium - (primordio) - Zone where otolith growth begins. Appears optically as a more opaque area within the nucleus.
Radius - (radio) - The linear distance from the focus to a specific point on the edge of the otolith.
Validation, age - (validación) - Confirmation of the temporal significance of a ring or increment.
Verification - (verificación) - Confirmation of the repeatability of a numerical interpretation of age (may be independent of actual age).
