Reproductive biology of the black goby, Gobius niger (Teleostei: Gobiidae), in the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, Central Mediterranean)

Abstract

The black goby Gobius niger (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gobiidae) is one of the most common gobies in southern Tunisian waters. This study provides the first detailed information on the reproductive biology of the G. niger in these areas. Samples of G. niger were collected by trawl from the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia) between February 2009 and January 2010. A total of 1055 specimens were examined, ranging from 6.4 to 15.7 cm total length. The sex-ratio was in favour of males, especially in larger size-classes. The macroscopic analysis of the gonads and the progression of the monthly values of the gonadosomatic index (GSI) indicated that the reproductive season extended from March to June, with GSI peaking in May, and that spawning occurred from April to June. The utilization of lipid reserves, stored predominantly in the liver as well as in muscles, was important during the reproduction season. Monthly changes of the seminal vesicle somatic index showed that during the pre-spawning period they had a proliferation phase, followed by a regressive phase during the post-spawning period. Total fecundity of mature females ranged from 4280 to 14000 eggs per fish, showing a significant increase with size, with an average of 8522 ± 689 eggs per fish. The total length at 50% maturity was 10.13 ± 0.3 cm and 9.69 ± 0.18 cm for males and females, respectively.

Reproductive biology of the Egyptian sole, Solea aegyptiaca (Actinopterygii: Pleuronectiformes: Soleidae), in southern Tunisian waters (Central Mediterranean)

“…The annual variations in the HSI showed that energy storage decreased after reproduction. Storage of fat within the liver during the reproductive period is a strategy adopted by many species in the Gulf of Gabes such as Diplodus vulgaris (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817) (Hadj Taieb et al ., 2012) and Gobius niger (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hajji et al ., 2013).…”

Reproduction and Seasonal Growth Estimates of the Black Goby, Gobius niger (Osteichthyes: Perciformes: Gobiidae) in the Southeastern Black Sea Region of Turkey

“…Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, France, Italy), reproduction biology, age and growth of the black goby were reported by different authors (Vaas et al, 1975;Fabi & Giannetti, 1983;Nash, 1984;Arruda et al, 1993;Joyeux et al, 1991;Silva & Gordo, 1997;Bouchereau & Guelorget, 1998;Immler et al, 2004). Reproductive biology of the black goby in the Mediterranean, Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia was also studied by Hajji et al (2013). Moreover, studies on the black goby in the coast of Turkey were carried out on their age, growth and reproduction biology in the Bay of Izmir, Aegean Sea (Özaydın et al, 2007;Kınacıgil et al, 2008;Filiz & Toğulga, 2009) and in the Sea of Marmara (Kırdar & İşmen, 2018).…”

“…In other black goby populations, both smaller and larger in size than our study, Lm was estimated as 4.3 cm TL in males and 5.4 cm in females (about 7 to 12-13 months) in the Mauguio lagoon, France (Joyeux et al, 1991), as 6.0 cm TL (0 + age) in the Ria de Aveiro lagoon, Portugal (Arruda et al, 1993), as 7.8 TL cm about 0.86 years for females in the Izmir Bay, Turkey (Filiz & Toğulga, 2009) and 9.4 cm TL at one year in the Marmara Sea, Turkey (Kırdar & İşmen, 2018). In the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, Mediterranean), Lm was estimated as 10.1 cm TL in males and 9.7 cm in females (Hajji et al, 2013).…”

The black gobyGobius nigerLinnaeus, 1758 in the Marchica lagoon (Alboran Sea, Morocco): Spatial-temporal distribution and its environmental drivers, and the site-related footprint

“…Black goby requires coarse substrates to have shelters for nest construction (Vaas et al 1975;Wiederholm, 1987;Mistri et al, 2000;Leatemia et al, 2017). The vegetated habitats are important for the abundance of marine macroinvertebrates which are the main prey resource for the black goby (Hajji et al, 2013;Matern et al, 2021). Vegetation cover also limits predation by increasing the complexity of the habitats (Heck and Orth, 1980;Kulczycki et al, 1981).…”