Age-based life-history parameters of the mesopelagic fish Notoscopelus resplendens (Richardson, 1845) in the Central Eastern Atlantic

Contribution to the reproductive ecology of Notoscopelus resplendens (Richardson, 1845) (Myctophidae) in the Central-Eastern Atlantic

“…Because the myctophid species (such as N. resplendens) have a great abundance and biomass and because they are the link between secondary producers and upper trophic levels in the open ocean through the organismal migration 78 , they contribute significantly to the oceanic biological pump. In conclusion, the biological information provided for N. resplendens in this study (i.e., length frequency distribution, sex ratio, size at first maturity, spawning season and batch fecundity) together with information previously published about their age and growth 46 , contribute to expand the knowledge and the baseline for effective future management of this group of fish species.…”

“…This variation in the sex ratio with length might be related to faster growth and/or a longer life span of females in relation to males 65 . This has been documented in several myctophid species belonging to the Notoscopelus genus, where females grow faster than males and reach a larger maximum size 46,68,69 .…”

“…Information about the distribution and some age and growth parameters of Notoscopelus resplendens have been studied in the Central-Eastern Atlantic 14,46,49,63,64 ; however, this is the first time that data have been reported for lengths at first (L 50 ) and full (L 95 ) maturity, spawning season and fecundity of this lanternfish species in this region ( Table 1). www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Notoscopelus resplendens caught in Canarian waters ranged from 19.24 to 84.77 mm SL (0.050-5.660 g in weight), slightly larger than reported for individuals of its congeneric species N. elongatus kroeyeri in the Northeast Atlantic (18.81-67.76 mm SL, TL values converted with the SL-TL ratio estimated in this study) 31 .…”

“…However, no information is available on the reproductive biology of this species. Age-based life-history parameters have been estimated for this species 46 , contributing age at first maturity and spawning period data. The spawning season seems to be from December to March, based on back calculating the hatching date from the daily growth increments, and the age at first maturity was 1.7 years for males and 2.05 years for females 46 .…”

“…Like many other mesopelagic species 42 , N. resplendens migrates from the depths to the surface at night, crossing water with very different features 43 . This species exhibits its highest abundance levels in the Eastern Atlantic region along the African coast, including the Canary Islands [44][45][46] , in ecoregion 24, as described 47 in a global biogeographic classification of the mesopelagic zone. Some authors 6 have indicated that N. resplendens in the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition zone is one of the dominant components of the mesopelagic fish.…”