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The last stage in the life history of the European conger eel Conger conger : a transformation before death
Author(s) -
Battaglia Pietro,
Smith David,
Ammendolia Giovanni,
Cavallaro Mauro,
Maggio Teresa,
Consoli Pierpaolo,
Guerrera Maria C.,
Andaloro Franco,
Romeo Teresa
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.14223
Subject(s) - conger , biology , fishery , meristics , trawling , mediterranean sea , zoology , mediterranean climate , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology
The taxonomic, morphological and meristic features of a dark eel caught by commercial trawling off the Gulf of Patti, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, February 17, 2017, showed it to be a female Conger conger . Histological analysis of gonads demonstrated that the individual was in a post‐spawning phase. X‐ray radiographs showed widespread decalcification of skeleton and teeth loss, confirming a strong mobilisation of somatic energy reserves needed for reproductive development.