Eleven years of the interactive AFORO (Shape analysis of otoliths) database web site (2003/2014)

Abstract

In 2003 was created AFORO (http://aforo.cmima.csic.es), an interactive system to deal with shape analysis of fish otoliths and a classification system based on the mathematical properties of the onedimensional curves describing the otolith contours. The system is connected to a database of complete morphometric (measures and morphological indexes) information, including Elliptic Fourier analysis and wavelets (WT) based in otolith contours of the otolith images of well identified samples. Since 2006, AFORO incorporates an expert system that will allow carrying automatic taxon identification based. In 2009 AFORO was included in GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) databases system, with geographical information of the otolith samples. The AFORO database and public web site (the otolith guide, with its corresponding shape analysis and classification system) keep being continuously implemented. Since 2009, the number of specimens uploaded have increased (from 2492 to 4555 images), and thereby biodiversity representation (from 772 to 1381 species, from 156 to 216 families, from 32 to 36 orders) as well as geographical extension, especially from South Pacific, Central Atlantic and Indic Oceans. Nevertheless, Mediterranean Sea is the best represented area (90% of common species, 64% of species sometimes cited in this area, including 50% of Lessepsian species -Red Sea invaders- are showed). The main advance in the last years was the inclusion of videos of 3D otolith objects in 2012, obtained with LED white light-based scanner, which eliminates the speckle noise effect of laser scanners. This scanner was especially developed for otolith studies. Other novelties are the inclusion of automatic morphometric software and numerical information of Fourier and wavelet analysis, which will be used as morphometric bank for researchers that require precise species identification as paleontologists, archeologists and trophic ecologists