Maturity and Fecundity of Lizardfish (Saurida undosquamis Richardson, 1848) in İskenderun Bay (Eastern Mediterranean)

Authors: ALİ İŞMEN

Abstract: The spawning season, size and age at first sexual maturity, and fecundity of the commercially important lizardfish (Saurida undosquamis) were studied on the basis of 602 specimens from İskenderun Bay in the eastern Mediterranean. Lizardfishes had ripe gonads all around the year. The monthly gonadosomatic index values and the frequency of ripe gonads indicated that the spawning of this species occurred mainly in two seasons (May-July and September-November). Males attained first sexual maturity at a total length of about 16 cm and females at about 16.5 cm. Fecundity-length relationships estimated between 1999 and 2000 were log F = 0.422 + 3.293 log L (r = 0.76), log F = 0.132 + 3.490 log L (r = 0.86), respectively. In 1999 and 2000, fecundity-age relationships were estimated as log F = 4.379 +1.164 log A (r = 0.80), log F = 4.501 + 0.925 log A (r = 0.82), respectively. No annual variation in fecundity was apparent for the study period.

Keywords: İskenderun Bay, Lizardfish (Saurida undosquamis), First Sexual Maturity, Fecundity

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