Trace elements in statoliths of Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis in the South China Sea

The trace elements of Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis collected from the South China Sea during September to October, 2012 were analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The top 10 abundant elements are calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) reveals significant difference in Ca (P=0.017), Sr (P=0.016) and Na (P=0.042) between middle-form (M-form) and dwarf-form (D-form) of S.oualaniensis (P < 0.05);significant difference of M-form existed in Ca (P=0.026), Sr (P=0.021) and Na(P=0.042) in sex (P < 0.05), but no significant difference of D-form existed in sex (P>0.05);significant difference of M-form existed in Cu (P=0.002), Ni (P=0.001) at different ages (P < 0.05), and significant difference of D-form existed in P (P=0.000), Mg (P=0.002), Zn (P=0.023), Al (P=0.000) and Cu (P=0.003) at different ages (P < 0.05). Sr in statolith declined as latitude decreased, and the concentration of 0 dah was higher than that of 10 dah.