Maturity, fecundity, and reproductive cycle of Conodon nobilis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae) in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean

Background. Reproductive aspects of fishes are very useful in the development of management and conservation strategies of stocks. The information available on this subject, however, is very limited for tropical species, especially for those with low economic value, such as the barred grunt, Conodon...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: V.E.L. Da Silva, D.S. Vieira, E.C. Teixeira, A.C.L Ferreira, I.O. Assis, J. Rangely, N.N. Fabré
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2019-09-01
Series:Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria
Subjects:
Online Access:https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/26901/download/pdf/
_version_ 1811337412892164096
author V.E.L. Da Silva
D.S. Vieira
E.C. Teixeira
A.C.L Ferreira
I.O. Assis
J. Rangely
N.N. Fabré
author_facet V.E.L. Da Silva
D.S. Vieira
E.C. Teixeira
A.C.L Ferreira
I.O. Assis
J. Rangely
N.N. Fabré
author_sort V.E.L. Da Silva
collection DOAJ
description Background. Reproductive aspects of fishes are very useful in the development of management and conservation strategies of stocks. The information available on this subject, however, is very limited for tropical species, especially for those with low economic value, such as the barred grunt, Conodon nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758). This species is a common member of the family Haemulidae off the coasts of Brazil and it plays an important ecological role in coastal areas acting as a biological vector of organic matter. Thus, this study was intended to provide data on the reproductive parameters of C. nobilis to fill the gap in the existing knowledge. Materials and methods. Reproductive traits of C. nobilis were estimated from 410 fish collected in the coast of Alagoas, during fishery surveys carried out between December 2009 and June 2012. Length–weight relations (LWRs) for males and females were calculated from the observed length and weight by regression analysis. Data on the maturity status were used to estimate the size at first maturity for females, males, and pooled sexes. The fecundity was assessed by the volumetric method, and information on the reproductive period was retrieved from the gonadosomatic and the reproductive activity indices. Results. Sex ratio differed between sexes with mature females being more abundant than males. Although no evidence of sexual dimorphism was found in the length distribution, LWRs showed that males have a negative asymptotic growth and females present a positive asymptotic growth. The first sexual maturity for females, males, and pooled sexes was attained at 20.78, 20.57, and 20.72 cm of the total length (TL), respectively. Gonadosomatic and reproductive activity indices indicated that C. nobilis may be capable of spawning all year round with a more intense activity occurring between the rainy season in the region studied. The batch fecundity fluctuated between 1640 and 105 471 oocytes with a mean of 45 384 ± 16 737 eggs per female and was positively correlated to female size. Conclusion. Overall, C. nobilis showed an intermediate fecundity rate with reproductive activity throughout all year round. No evidence of sexual dimorphism in maturity and size distribution was found for the species. We hope that our findings may be helpful for fishery biologists in the design of effective management strategies for this ecologically important species.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T17:54:31Z
format Article
id doaj.art-cc32168bead34926b98bcb45e5ed0ba9
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1734-1515
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T17:54:31Z
publishDate 2019-09-01
publisher Pensoft Publishers
record_format Article
series Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria
spelling doaj.art-cc32168bead34926b98bcb45e5ed0ba92022-12-22T02:36:34ZengPensoft PublishersActa Ichthyologica et Piscatoria1734-15152019-09-0149323524210.3750/AIEP/0259726901Maturity, fecundity, and reproductive cycle of Conodon nobilis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae) in tropical waters of the Atlantic OceanV.E.L. Da SilvaD.S. VieiraE.C. TeixeiraA.C.L FerreiraI.O. AssisJ. RangelyN.N. FabréBackground. Reproductive aspects of fishes are very useful in the development of management and conservation strategies of stocks. The information available on this subject, however, is very limited for tropical species, especially for those with low economic value, such as the barred grunt, Conodon nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758). This species is a common member of the family Haemulidae off the coasts of Brazil and it plays an important ecological role in coastal areas acting as a biological vector of organic matter. Thus, this study was intended to provide data on the reproductive parameters of C. nobilis to fill the gap in the existing knowledge. Materials and methods. Reproductive traits of C. nobilis were estimated from 410 fish collected in the coast of Alagoas, during fishery surveys carried out between December 2009 and June 2012. Length–weight relations (LWRs) for males and females were calculated from the observed length and weight by regression analysis. Data on the maturity status were used to estimate the size at first maturity for females, males, and pooled sexes. The fecundity was assessed by the volumetric method, and information on the reproductive period was retrieved from the gonadosomatic and the reproductive activity indices. Results. Sex ratio differed between sexes with mature females being more abundant than males. Although no evidence of sexual dimorphism was found in the length distribution, LWRs showed that males have a negative asymptotic growth and females present a positive asymptotic growth. The first sexual maturity for females, males, and pooled sexes was attained at 20.78, 20.57, and 20.72 cm of the total length (TL), respectively. Gonadosomatic and reproductive activity indices indicated that C. nobilis may be capable of spawning all year round with a more intense activity occurring between the rainy season in the region studied. The batch fecundity fluctuated between 1640 and 105 471 oocytes with a mean of 45 384 ± 16 737 eggs per female and was positively correlated to female size. Conclusion. Overall, C. nobilis showed an intermediate fecundity rate with reproductive activity throughout all year round. No evidence of sexual dimorphism in maturity and size distribution was found for the species. We hope that our findings may be helpful for fishery biologists in the design of effective management strategies for this ecologically important species.https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/26901/download/pdf/barred gruntfirst maturationreproductionspaw
spellingShingle V.E.L. Da Silva
D.S. Vieira
E.C. Teixeira
A.C.L Ferreira
I.O. Assis
J. Rangely
N.N. Fabré
Maturity, fecundity, and reproductive cycle of Conodon nobilis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae) in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean
Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria
barred grunt
first maturation
reproduction
spaw
title Maturity, fecundity, and reproductive cycle of Conodon nobilis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae) in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean
title_full Maturity, fecundity, and reproductive cycle of Conodon nobilis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae) in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean
title_fullStr Maturity, fecundity, and reproductive cycle of Conodon nobilis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae) in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean
title_full_unstemmed Maturity, fecundity, and reproductive cycle of Conodon nobilis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae) in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean
title_short Maturity, fecundity, and reproductive cycle of Conodon nobilis (Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Haemulidae) in tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean
title_sort maturity fecundity and reproductive cycle of conodon nobilis actinopterygii perciformes haemulidae in tropical waters of the atlantic ocean
topic barred grunt
first maturation
reproduction
spaw
url https://aiep.pensoft.net/article/26901/download/pdf/
work_keys_str_mv AT veldasilva maturityfecundityandreproductivecycleofconodonnobilisactinopterygiiperciformeshaemulidaeintropicalwatersoftheatlanticocean
AT dsvieira maturityfecundityandreproductivecycleofconodonnobilisactinopterygiiperciformeshaemulidaeintropicalwatersoftheatlanticocean
AT ecteixeira maturityfecundityandreproductivecycleofconodonnobilisactinopterygiiperciformeshaemulidaeintropicalwatersoftheatlanticocean
AT aclferreira maturityfecundityandreproductivecycleofconodonnobilisactinopterygiiperciformeshaemulidaeintropicalwatersoftheatlanticocean
AT ioassis maturityfecundityandreproductivecycleofconodonnobilisactinopterygiiperciformeshaemulidaeintropicalwatersoftheatlanticocean
AT jrangely maturityfecundityandreproductivecycleofconodonnobilisactinopterygiiperciformeshaemulidaeintropicalwatersoftheatlanticocean
AT nnfabre maturityfecundityandreproductivecycleofconodonnobilisactinopterygiiperciformeshaemulidaeintropicalwatersoftheatlanticocean