Abstract
Length-weight relationships, sex ratio, maturity patterns, reproductive outputs, fecundity and spawning period of the musky octopus Eledone moschata (Lamarck, 1798) in the northern and central Adriatic Sea are presented for the first time. Samples were collected on a monthly basis by commercial bottom trawls between October 2001 and June 2003. A total of 1552 specimens were analysed (779 males, 764 females, 9 undetermined). The overall sex ratio was close to 1:1, but during summer males were dominant. Length-weight relationships calculated for each sex and the whole sample showed negative allometric growth (b E. moschata has an extended reproductive season that starts in autumn and ends in spring, with spawning peaks between January and April.
Highlights
The musky octopus, Eledone moschata (Lamarck, 1798) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) inhabits the entire Mediterranean and the Gulf of Cádiz in the eastern Atlantic (Roper et al, 1984)
Summary: Length-weight relationships, sex ratio, maturity patterns, reproductive outputs, fecundity and spawning period of the musky octopus Eledone moschata (Lamarck, 1798) in the northern and central Adriatic Sea are presented for the first time
Samples were collected on a monthly basis by commercial bottom trawls between October 2001 and June 2003
Summary
The musky octopus, Eledone moschata (Lamarck, 1798) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) inhabits the entire Mediterranean and the Gulf of Cádiz in the eastern Atlantic (Roper et al, 1984). It is widely distributed on the continental shelf, and is most abundant at depths down to 100 m. There are several studies on the distribution and abundance of this species in the Adriatic Sea (Piccinetti and Jukic, 1988; Casali et al, 1998; Krstulovic Šifner et al, 2004, 2005), but there are few references to the reproductive biology of E. moschata in the area (Manfrin-Piccinetti and Rizzoli, 1984; Soro and Piccinetti-Manfrin, 1989). The first detailed data on the sex ratio, length-weight relationships, maturity patterns, reproductive outputs, fecundity and spawning period in the area are presented
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