Abstract
The epipelagic flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis is a major artisanal fishery resource from the Northeastern coastal waters of Brazil. However, biological information about this species has been poorly documented. This paper presents data on the length-weight relationship, sex ratio, length at first sexual maturity, gonadal development and fecundity of H. affinis sampled from the coastal waters of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The total body length and weight for both sexes ranged from 23.4 to 29.4 cm and from 89 to 188g, respectively. The allometric coefficient of males was 2.208 and that of females was 2.985, indicating negatively allometric growth. The sex ratio was 1M:1.6F thus differing from the expected ratio of 1:1 (χ2 = 18.63). The total length at first sexual maturity was estimated at 27.3 cm for males and 27.1 cm for females. The macroscopic characteristics of the gonads indicated four maturation stages. Histological studies of gonads of H. affinis showed seven phases of oocyte development and four phases of spermatocyte development. The mean absolute fecundity was 9092 vitelogenic oocytes. Spawning occurred during the months of March to July. The microscopic descriptions of the stages of gonad maturation indicate that the study area is an important spawning ground of H. affinis.
Highlights
The flying fish belongs to the family Exocoetidae and are distributed in tropical and subtropical waters around the world (Oxenford et al, 1995; Monteiro et al, 1998)
This work reports on the length-weight relationship, sex ratio, length at first sexual maturity, gonadal development and fecundity of H. affinis sampled from the coastal waters of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeastern Brazil
The immature individuals frequently occur in the oceanic region and only the adults migrate to the coastal waters for breeding
Summary
The flying fish belongs to the family Exocoetidae and are distributed in tropical and subtropical waters around the world (Oxenford et al, 1995; Monteiro et al, 1998) They are considered as commercially and ecologically important species irrespective of their geographical distribution (Gomes et al, 1998; Parin, 2002). The flesh of H. affinis is of a good quality, it is frequently used as bait to capture larger predatory fish species, but their eggs are marketed for the production of local caviar Besides their commercial importance, the flying fishes are crucial components in the epipelagic food chain, where they are preferred prey of predators, such as, Coryphaena hippurus, Thunnus albacares, Tetrapturus albidus, Makaira nigricans and Prionace glauca which are of high commercial value (Araújo and Chellappa, 2002; Parin, 1960). The results of the present study could provide data for the conservation of natural stocks of this important epipelagic fishery resource
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