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Age, growth and reproductive parameters of the Mediterranean cardinal fish, Apogon imberbis
Author(s) -
Raventos N.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of applied ichthyology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1439-0426
pISSN - 0175-8659
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0426.2007.00847.x
Subject(s) - biology , otolith , mediterranean climate , fish <actinopterygii> , mediterranean sea , zoology , ecology , fishery
Summary Life history parameters (age, growth and reproductive characteristics) of the Mediterranean paternal mouthbrooding cardinal fish, Apogon imberbis , were investigated at a coastal locality off Blanes, NW Mediterranean Sea. Maximum age was found to be 5 years for both sexes. Age was validated with an otolith chemical (tetracycline) marking experiment. Both females and males reached maturity at length >5.5 cm, corresponding to 1 year of age in both sexes. The spawning season ranges from July to October, with a peak in August. The number of eggs in the mouths of males increased linearly with fish total length.