The shorthead drum Larimus breviceps is one of the main bycatch species of the shrimp fisheries inBrazil. However, studies addressing the biology and fisheries impacts on this species are still scarce.Here we describe the main aspects of the reproductive biology and the female gonadal developmentof L. breviceps on Paraíba, northeast Brazil. The reproductive tract was described by macroscopic andmicroscopic analysis. The ovaries were composed by oogonia, pre-vitellogenic, vitellogenic, mature, andatretic oocytes. A total of 970 individuals (549 females and 421 males) were caught between December2016 and November 2017 through beach seining. The total length (TL) varied from 4.2 to 23.0 cm.Females dominated over males (1 female: 0.77 male). The length–weight relationship did not differbetween the sexes, presenting a positive allometric growth. The following stages were thus defined forfemales: immature, initial development, advanced development, mature, and regressing. The period ofhighest reproductive activity occurs between November and March and immature individuals occurthroughout the year. Mean length at first maturity (L50) was estimated as 11.1 cm TL. The informationprovided here contributes to the overall knowledge of this species and may be helpful for furtherdevelopment of management practices that ensure the sustainability of marine species exploitation.
DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2021.102052
Reference
LLucas Vinícius Santos, Cecília Fernanda Farias Craveirob, Andrey Soares b, Leandro Nolé Eduardo b,c, Rafaela Passaroneb, Emanuell F.B. Silva d, Flávia Lucena-Frédou
