The length-weight relationship and condition factor of yellowspotted puffer Torquigener flavimaculosus Hardy &amp; Randall, 1983 in the Eastern Mediterranean (Yumurtalık Bight, Turkey)

Sibel ALAGÖZ ERGÜDEN,Deniz ERGÜDEN,Deniz AYAS

doi:10.33714/masteb.700374

Abstract

The length-weight relationships (LWRs) of fish are helpful in fisheries science. A total of 504 yellowspotted puffer (Torquigener flavimaculosus) specimens (257 female and 247 male) were caught from the Yumurtalık coast of Turkey (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) between 2018 and 2019 by using a trammel net set with a depth range between 5 and 42 m. The sex ratio was found 1:1.08 for males and females, respectively. The length-weight relationship was described for combined both sexes by the following formula W = 0.00130×L3.094 (r2 = 0.918) with a positive allometric growth. Fulton condition factor (CF) was calculated as 1.713 ± 0.145 for combined sexes. This study presents the first results available for the length-weight relationships and condition factor of T. flavimaculosus according to both sexes in the Yumurtalık coast of Turkey.

Highlights

The length-weight relationships (LWRs) are an important indicator in fisheries management and conservation (Froese, 2006)
This study presents the first results available for the length-weight relationships and condition factor of T. flavimaculosus according to both sexes in the Yumurtalık coast of Turkey
We report the length-weight relationships of T. flavimaculosus in the Mediterranean, based on 504 specimens collected from the Yumurtalık coast

Summary

Introduction

The length-weight relationships (LWRs) are an important indicator in fisheries management and conservation (Froese, 2006). The yellowspotted puffer, Torquigener flavimaculosus Hardy & Randall, 1983, is a reef-associated species, found at depths ranging from 3 to 57 meters (Randall, 1995), commonly feeding on marine invertebrates and reaching a maximum total length of 16.0 cm (Sabour et al, 2014). The species is distributed in the western Indian Ocean, from East Africa to Seychelles, in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf (Randall, 1995). It is found in the Mediterranean Sea, introduced via the Suez Canal (Golani et al, 2002) being one of the seven non-native puffers (belongs to the Tetraodontidae family). T. flavimaculosus has been recorded from the Turkish coasts of the Levantine Sea and the Aegean Sea (Bilecenoglu, 2005; Erguden and Gurlek, 2010; Bilecenoglu et al, 2014)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion