Through the analysis of the morphological changes ocurring in the process of growth, it was possible to identify three stages (primary juvenile: 25-75 mm; secondary juvenile: 76-160 mm; and juvenile preadult: 161-250 mm)during the first year of the species life. Regression equations for the different relations studied: body weight/body lenght, body surface/body lenght, body surface/body weight, and metabolic rate/body lenght, have been calculated for each stage. The variation of the number of gill rakers, mean distance between adjacent rakers and mean values of gill rakers lenght in reference to body growth was studied, and the relation between filtering area and body length was established.

Perciformes, Scombridae, Scomber japonicus marplatensis, caballa, relaciones largo-peso, factor de condición, branquias

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