Abstract
Bay whiffs, Citharichthys spilopterus, were sampled in Mamanguá Inlet between March 1990 and March 1992 for evaluation of its reproductive dynamic. Bay whiffs presented a crescent gradient of abundance from the deepest to the shallowest stations. The mean total length by oceanographic station showed a clear tendency of a relationship between bigger sizes and higher depths. Males predominated along the studied period and on the smallest length groups. Higher values of alometric condition factor, gonadosomatic relationship and spawning stage of maturity indicated a higher degree of development of the gonads on March and November. Histological analysis showed spawning females in March and May 1990 in the stations closer to the mouth of the Inlet, and spawned females with old post-ovulatory follicles and high frequency of atresia at shallow stations, suggesting a migration to shallow and protected areas after spawning. Length of first gonadal maturation was 117 mm TL. We could conclude that C. spilopterus completes its life cycle within the Mamanguá Inlet, spawning during autumn (March to May) and possibly November.
Highlights
The Bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus Günther, 1862 is a small flatfish, Family Paralichthyidae, distributed from New Jersey (USA) to Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and is captured frequently in shallow coastal and estuarine areas (Figueiredo & Menezes, 2000). Bernardes (1995) classified the Bay whiff as a permanent component of the community structure of the Mamanguá Inlet, based on its abundance and occurrence over all the samples collected
T-S diagram for the Mamanguá Inlet based on (a) surface and (b) bottom data of temperature and salinity from March 1990 to March 1992
Lines represent the values of the South Atlantic Central Waters, calculated from coefficients
Summary
The Bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus Günther, 1862 is a small flatfish, Family Paralichthyidae, distributed from New Jersey (USA) to Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and is captured frequently in shallow coastal and estuarine areas (Figueiredo & Menezes, 2000). Bernardes (1995) classified the Bay whiff as a permanent component of the community structure of the Mamanguá Inlet, based on its abundance and occurrence over all the samples collected. The Bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus Günther, 1862 is a small flatfish, Family Paralichthyidae, distributed from New Jersey (USA) to Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), and is captured frequently in shallow coastal and estuarine areas (Figueiredo & Menezes, 2000). Bernardes (1995) classified the Bay whiff as a permanent component of the community structure of the Mamanguá Inlet, based on its abundance and occurrence over all the samples collected. Chaves & Vendel (1997) classified C. spilopterus as resident in the mangrove areas of Guaratuba Bay, Southeast Brazil. Cit.) reported a big similarity of the diet between young and adult forms. Previous studies on reproductive indicators of Citharichthys species (C. arenaceus and C. spilopterus), as morphological description, gonadosomatic index and condi-
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