Reproductive biology of the spotted flounder, Citharus linguatula (Actinopterygii: Pleuronectiformes: Citharidae), from Saros Bay (northern Aegean Sea, Turkey)

Background. Understanding the reproduction of the spotted flounder, Citharus linguatula (Linnaeus, 1758), has been considered a major step toward understanding its population dynamics, especially, in the northern Aegean Sea. So, the presently reported study aimed to study the reproductive biology of C. linguatula and provided the first data of its fecundity. Materials and methods. This study was carried out between September 2006 and September 2008 in Saros Bay (Northern Aegean Sea, Turkey), which had been closed to trawl fishing since 2000. The gonadosomatic index, length at maturity (L-50), and absolute fecundity were analysed. Results. The elevated GSI values observed, suggested the spawning period was from September to November. The length at maturity (L-50) was at 15.0 cm TL for females and 14.0 TL cm for males. The relations between the absolute fecundity and total length, total weight, and age of the spotted flounder females were estimated as F-a = 0.1878TL(3.29), F-a = 58.515TW + 36.453, and F-a = 887.59A - 389.43, respectively. Conclusion. The identification of reproductive strategy is necessary to obtain a better understanding of its biology.