Biology of the red mullet Mullus surmuletus (Mullidae) off the Canary Islands, Central-East Atlantic

Striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus , Linnaeus, 1758) in the eastern English Channel and southern North Sea: growth and reproductive biology

“…Our validity of the age determination based on counting opaque bands on whole otoliths of M. surmuletus was confirmed by the age estimation method analysing marginal increment formation (Renõnes et al., ; Pajuelo et al., ; N'Da et al., ). Therefore, von Bertalanffy parameters could be safely estimated.…”

“…Von Bertalanffy parameters indicated that females attained a larger asymptotic total length (TL ∞ ) than males, but in contrast, the growth rate ( K ) of females was lower than in males. Growth performance index (φ′) of M. surmuletus showed that growth of the females was higher than that of the males (Table ) This sexual dimorphism was observed in different areas: northern Bay of Biscay (N'Da, ), Majorcan waters (Morales‐Nin, ; Pajuelo et al., ), Egyptian waters (Hashem, ), the Tyrrhenian Sea (Andaloro and Giarritta, ), and Tunisian waters (Jabeur, ). The growth performance index is considered to be a useful tool for comparing growth curves of different populations in the same species (Sparre et al., ; Wootton, ).…”

“…) and seemed to allocate energy to their gonadic growth earlier than the females, probable explaining their slightly smaller growth rate. These observed values were amongst the highest and found to be similar only to those of the Canary Islands (Pajuelo et al., ). The later reproductive maturation of red mullet in the eastern English Channel may favour its growth and explain the observed differences.…”

Life-history traits of the striped red mullet Mullus surmuletus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the south Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean)

“…The life-history traits of the species, concerning its reproduction and growth, have been studied mostly in the eastern Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay: N'Da, 1992; Pajuelo et al ., 1997; N'Da et al ., 2006; eastern English Channel–southern North Sea: Mahé et al ., 2013) and the western Mediterranean Sea (Alboran Sea: Lamrini, 2010; off Majorca: Morales-Nin, 1991, 1992; Reñones et al ., 1995; Catalan Sea: Sánchez et al ., 1983; Morales-Nin, 1986; Gulf of Lion: Campillo, 1992). Fewer studies exist for the central Mediterranean (Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas: Andaloro, 1982; Strait of Sicily: Andaloro & Giarritta, 1985; off Tunisia: Gharbi & Ktari, 1981; Jabeur, 1999) and the eastern Mediterranean (central Aegean Sea: Vassilopoulou & Papaconstantinou, 1992; NE Aegean Sea: Ilhan et al ., 2009; Arslan & İşmen, 2013; Torcu-Koç et al ., 2015; Egyptian waters: Hashem, 1973; Mehanna, 2009).…”

“…The aim of this study was to investigate the main biological features of M. surmuletus in the south Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean), and specifically the spawning season, length at first maturity, length–weight relationship, age and growth. Validation of the periodicity of growth increment deposition was also performed by applying marginal increment analysis, as in previous studies (Reñones et al ., 1995; Pajuelo et al ., 1997; Mahé et al ., 2013; Bakali et al ., 2016), and complementary methods (otolith edge analysis, assessment of the reproductive period and length–frequency distribution modes of the species) for the first time. Furthermore, the results of previous findings for the Mediterranean and the Atlantic were compared following an extensive literature review.…”