Life history traits of the Caspian stellate tadpole-goby Benthophilus leobergius Berg, 1949 (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the southeastern Caspian Sea, Iran

The Caspian stellate tadpole-goby, Benthophilus leobergius is endemic to for the Caspian Sea. In Iranian waters of the Caspian Sea, however, little is known about its life history. To address this, life history characteristics were examined in 256 specimens collected from the southeastern Caspian Sea, northern part of the Miankaleh Wildlife Refuge. The maximum observed age was 2+ years for both sexes. The sex ratio of males to females was 1:1.70. Estimated length-weight relationship was TL=0.0088TW 3.289 for males, TL= 0.0099TW 3.191 for females, and TL=0.0086TW 3.270 for the combined sexes. Egg diameter ranged from 0.8 to 1.8 mm with the mean of 1.259±0.50 mm. Mean absolute and relative fecundities were 2117±1243 eggs/female, and 130±77 eggs·g -1 body weight, respectively. Absolute fecundity and egg diameter were found to increase significantly with increasing fish size, whereas relative fecundity decreased significantly with total body weight.