Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8bljj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-26T22:38:31.220Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reproductive characteristics of Ratabulus diversidens and Ambiserrula jugosa (Pisces: Platycephalidae) from continental shelf waters of south-eastern Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2021

Lachlan M. Barnes Open the ORCID record for Lachlan M. Barnes [Opens in a new window] ,
Charles A. Gray Open the ORCID record for Charles A. Gray [Opens in a new window]  and
Jane E. Williamson Open the ORCID record for Jane E. Williamson [Opens in a new window]
Lachlan M. Barnes
Affiliation:
Marine Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2109, NSW, Australia
Charles A. Gray*
Affiliation:
WildFish Research, Grays Point, 2232, NSW, Australia
Jane E. Williamson
Affiliation:
Marine Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 2109, NSW, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Charles A. Gray, E-mail: charles.gray@wildfishresearch.com.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The reproductive characteristics of co-occurring freespine flathead, Ratabulus diversidens, and mud flathead, Ambiserrula jugosa, that interact with fisheries across continental shelf waters of eastern Australia were examined. Samples were collected across three depth strata and two locations on a monthly basis over two years. Males of both species matured younger and at smaller total lengths (TL) than females. Estimated TL and age (years) at maturity (L50 and A50, respectively) of R. diversidens also varied between locations, but differences were not related to differential growth. Although some mature individuals of both species occurred year-round, they were most prevalent and gonadosomatic indices greatest, between the austral spring and autumn. Mature R. diversidens almost exclusively occurred in deeper offshore waters, whereas the opposite was evident for A. jugosa. Both species displayed asynchronous oocyte development, and were thus considered capable of spawning more than once throughout each spawning season. Potential batch fecundity was positively related to TL for R. diversidens, but not A. jugosa, possibly due to the small size of the latter species. The sex ratios for R. diversidens varied between locations and length categories, and like A. jugosa the larger categories were skewed towards females, a result of divergent growth between sexes. Macroscopic and microscopic evidence indicated both species were gonochoristic. The data provide new information for fisheries management consideration and contribute to the data-poor international knowledge base of platycephalid biology.

Keywords

Fisheries managementflatheadlife historymaturitysexual dimorphismspawning
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 101 , Issue 4 , June 2021 , pp. 725 - 734
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akita, Y and Tachihara, K (2019) Age, growth, and maturity of the Indian flathead Platycephalus indicus in the waters around Okinawa-Jima Island, Japan. Ichthyological Research 66, 330–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arendt, JD (2011) Size-fecundity relationships, growth trajectories, and the temperature-size rule for ectotherms. Evolution 65, 43–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Atkinson, D (1994) Temperature and organism size – a biological law for ecto-therms. Advances in Ecological Research 25, 1–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bani, A and Moltschaniwskyj, NA (2008) Spatio-temporal variability in reproductive ecology of sand flathead, Platycephalus bassensis, in three Tasmanian inshore habitats: potential implications for management. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 24, 555–561.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, LM, Leclerc, M, Gray, CA and Williamson, JE (2011 a) Dietary niche differentiation of five sympatric species of Platycephalidae. Environmental Biology of Fishes 90, 429–441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, LM, Gray, CA and Williamson, JE (2011 b) Divergence of the growth characteristics and longevity of coexisting Platycephalidae (Pisces). Marine and Freshwater Research 62, 1308–1317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, LM, van der Meulen, DE, Orchard, B and Gray, CA (2013) Novel use of an ultrasonic cleaning device for fish reproductive studies. Journal of Sea Research 76, 222–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bawazeer, AS (1989) The stock and fishery of Indian flathead (Wahar) Platycephalus indicus (Linnaeus), family Platycephalidae in Kuwait waters. Kuwait Bulletin of Marine Science 10, 169–178.Google Scholar
Berkeley, SA, Chapman, C and Sogard, SM (2004) Maternal age as a determinant of larval growth and survival in a marine fish, Sebastes melanops. Ecology 85, 1258–1264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bray, DJ (2020) Platycephalidae: Fishes of Australia (accessed 25 Feb 2021). http://136.154.202.208/home/family/48.Google Scholar
Broadhurst, MK, Kennelly, SJ and Gray, CA (2002) Optimal positioning and design of behavioural-type by-catch reduction devices involving square-mesh panels in penaeid prawn-trawl codends. Marine and Freshwater Research 53, 813–823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colefax, AN (1938) A preliminary investigation of the natural history of the tiger flathead (Neoplatycephalus macrodon) on the South Eastern Australian coast. II. Feeding habits; breeding habits. Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New South Wales 63, 55–64.Google Scholar
Colin, PL and Bell, LJ (1991) Aspects of the spawning of Labrid and Scarid fishes (Pisces, Labroidei) at Enewetak-Atoll, Marshall Islands with notes on other families. Environmental Biology of Fishes 31, 229–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coulson, PG, Platell, ME, Clarke, KR and Potter, IC (2015) Dietary variations within a family of ambush predators (Platycephalidae) occupying different habitats and environments in the same geographical region. Journal of Fish Biology 86, 1046–1077.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coulson, PG, Hall, NG and Potter, IC (2017) Variations in biological characteristics of temperate gonochoristic species of Platycephalidae and their implications: a review. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 190, 50–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Douglas, WA and Lanzing, WJR (1981) The respiratory mechanisms of the dusky flathead, Platycephalus fuscus (Platycephalidae, Scorpaeniformes). Journal of Fish Biology 18, 545–552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enberg, K, Jorgensen, C, Dunlop, ES, Heino, M and Dieckmann, U (2009) Implications of fisheries-induced evolution for stock rebuilding and recovery. Evolutionary Applications 2, 394–414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fairbridge, WS (1951) The New South Wales tiger flathead, Neoplatycephalus macrodon (Ogilby). I. Biology and age determination. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 2, 117–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frusher, SD, Hobday, AJ, Jennings, SM, Creighton, C, D'Silva, D, Haward, M, Holbrook, NJ, Nursey-Bray, M, Pecl, GT and van Putten, EI (2014) The short history of research in a marine climate change hotspot: from anecdote to adaptation in south-east Australia. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 24, 593–611.Google Scholar
Fujii, T (1970) Hermaphroditism and sex reversal in the fishes of the Platycephalidae – I. Sex reversal of Onigocia macrolepis (Bleeker). Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 17, 14–21.Google Scholar
Fujii, T (1971) Hermaphroditism and sex reversal in fishes of the Platycephalidae – II. Kumococius detrusus and Inegocia japonica. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 18, 109–117.Google Scholar
Graham, KJ, Broadhurst, MK and Millar, RB (2009) Effects of codend circumference and twine diameter on selection in south-eastern Australian fish trawls. Fisheries Research 95, 341–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, CA (2019) Age determination, growth and mortality of Gerres subfasciatus Cuvier, 1830 in southeast Australia. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 35, 729–737.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, CA and Barnes, LM (2015) Spawning, maturity, growth and movement of Platycephalus fuscus (Cuvier, 1829) (Platycephalidae): fishery management considerations. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 31, 442–450.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, CA and Kennelly, SJ (2018) Diversity and composition of catches and discards in a recreational charter fishery. Fisheries Research 199, 44–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, CA, Gale, VJ, Stringfellow, SL and Raines, LP (2002) Variations in sex, length and age compositions of commercial catches of Platycephalus fuscus (Pisces: Platycephalidae) in New South Wales, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 53, 1091–1100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, CA, Barnes, LM, van der Meulen, DE, Kendall, BW, Ochwada-Doyle, FA and Robbins, WD (2014) Depth interactions and reproductive ecology of sympatric Sillaginidae: Sillago robusta and S. flindersi. Aquatic Biology 21, 127–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gunderson, DR (1977) Population biology of Pacific Ocean perch, Sebastes alutus, stocks in the Washington-Queen Charlotte Sound region, and their response to fishing. Fishery Bulletin 75, 369–403.Google Scholar
Hsieh, CH, Yamauchi, A, Nakazawa, T and Wang, WF (2010) Fishing effects on age and spatial structures undermine population stability of fishes. Aquatic Sciences 72, 165–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobday, AJ, Smith, ADM, Stobutzki, IC, Bulman, C, Daley, R, Dambacher, JM, Deng, RA, Dowdney, J, Fuller, M, Furlani, D and Griffiths, SP (2011) Ecological risk assessment for the effects of fishing. Fisheries Research 108, 372–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, W, Ye, G, Lu, Z, Du, J, Chen, M, Chou, LM and Yang, S (2015) Study on fish life history traits and variation in the Taiwan Strait and its adjacent waters. Acta Oceanologica Sinica 34, 45–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, JM, Stewart, J, Kendall, BW and Gray, CA (2008) Growth and reproductive biology of tarwhine Rhabdosargus sarba (Sparidae) in eastern Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 59, 1111–1123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunter, JR, Lo, NCH and Leong, RJH (1985) Batch fecundity in multiple spawning fishes. In Lasker, R (ed.), An egg production method for estimating spawning biomass of pelagic fishes: application to the northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax. United States Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Technical Report NMFS 36, 79–94.Google Scholar
Hyndes, GA, Neira, FJ and Potter, IC (1992) Reproductive biology and early life history of the marine teleost Platycephalus speculator Klunzinger (Platycephalidae) in a temperate Australian estuary. Journal of Fish Biology 40, 859–874.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Imamura, H (1996) Phylogeny of the family Platycephalidae and related taxa (Pisces: Scorpaeniformes). Species Diversity 1, 123–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jakobsen, T, Fogarty, MJ, Megrey, BA and Moksness, ES (2009) Fish Reproductive Biology; Implications for Assessment and Management. Chichester: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jordan, AR (2001) Reproductive biology, early life-history and settlement distribution of sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) in Tasmania. Marine and Freshwater Research 52, 589–601.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorgensen, C, Enberg, K, Dunlop, ES, Arlinghaus, R, Boukal, DS, Brander, K, Ernande, B, Gardmark, A, Johnston, F, Matsumura, S, Pardoe, H, Raab, K, Silva, A, Vainikka, A, Dieckmann, U, Heino, M and Rijnsdorp, AD (2007) Ecology – managing evolving fish stocks. Science (New York, N.Y.) 318, 1247–1248.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendall, BW and Gray, CA (2009) Reproduction, age and growth of Sillago maculata in south-eastern Australia. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 25, 529–536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lambert, TC and Ware, DM (1984) Reproductive strategies of demersal and pelagic spawning fish. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 41, 1564–1569.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lassalle, G, Trancart, T, Lambert, P and Rochard, E (2008) Latitudinal variations in age and size at maturity among allis shad Alosa alosa populations. Journal of Fish Biology 73, 1799–1809.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lyle, JM, Moltschaniwskyj, NA, Morton, AJ, Brown, IW and Mayer, D (2007) Effects of hooking damage and hook type on post-release survival of sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis). Marine and Freshwater Research 58, 445–453.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macbeth, WG, Millar, RB, Johnson, DD, Gray, CA, Keech, RS and Collins, D (2012) Assessment of the relative performance of a square-mesh codend design across multiple vessels in a demersal trawl fishery. Fisheries Research 134, 29–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marteinsdottir, G and Steinarsson, A (1998) Maternal influence on the size and viability of Iceland cod Gadus morhua eggs and larvae. Journal of Fish Biology 52, 1241–1258.Google Scholar
McBride, RS, Somarakis, S, Fitzhugh, GR, Albert, A, Yaragina, NA, Wuenschel, MJ, Alonso-Fernández, A and Basilone, G (2015) Energy acquisition and allocation to egg production in relation to fish reproductive strategies. Fish and Fisheries 16, 23–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McPhie, RP and Campana, SE (2009) Reproductive characteristics and population decline of four species of skate (Rajidae) off the eastern coast of Canada. Journal of Fish Biology 75, 223–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mercier, A and Hamel, JF (2010) Synchronized breeding events in sympatric marine invertebrates: role of behavior and fine temporal windows in maintaining reproductive isolation. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 64, 1749–1765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, MJ and Bowering, WR (1997) Temporal and geographic variation in maturity at length and age of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) from the Canadian north-west Atlantic with implications for fisheries management. ICES Journal of Marine Science 54, 875–885.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, MJ, Murua, H, Kraus, G, Lambert, Y, Marteinsdottir, G, Marshall, CT, O'Brien, L and Tomkiewicz, J (2009) The evaluation of reference points and stock productivity in the context of alternative indices of stock reproductive potential. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 66, 404–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morita, K, Morita, SH, Fukuwaka, M and Matsuda, H (2005) Rule of age and size at maturity of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta): implications of recent trends among Oncorhynchus spp. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 62, 2752–2759.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, JS, Grande, TC and Wilson, MV (2016) Fishes of the World, 5th edn. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Okada, YK (1968) A further note on the sex reversal in Inegocia meerdervoorti. Proceedings of the Japan Academy 44, 374–378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oke, PR, Roughan, M, Cetina-Heredia, P, Pilo, GS, Ridgway, KR, Rykova, T, Archer, MR, Coleman, RC, Kerry, CG, Rocha, C, Schaeffer, A and Vitarelli, E (2019) Revisiting the circulation of the East Australian Current: its path, separation, and eddy field. Progress in Oceanography 176, 102139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, GA (1992) The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in fish. Journal of Fish Biology 41, 1–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pavlov, DA, Emel'yanova, NG and Novikov, GG (2009) Reproductive dynamics. In Jakobsen, T, Fogarty, MJ, Megrey, BA and Moksness, ES (eds), Fish Reproductive Biology: Implications for Assessment and Management. Chichester: Wiley, pp. 48–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rochet, MJ (2000) A comparative approach to life-history strategies and tactics among four orders of teleost fish. ICES Journal of Marine Science 57, 228–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roff, DA (1984) The evolution of life-history parameters in teleosts. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 41, 989–1000.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roff, DA (1991) The evolution of life-history variation in fishes, with particular reference to flatfish. Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 27, 197–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roff, DA (1992) The Evolution of Life Histories. New York, NY: Chapman and Hall.Google Scholar
Ross, ST (1986) Resource partitioning in fish assemblages: a review. Copeia 1986, 352–388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sabrah, M, Amin, A and El Sayed, A (2015) Age, growth and demographic structures of thorny flathead Rogadius asper, Cuvier, 1829 (Pisces: Platycephalidae) from the coastal waters of the Suez Gulf. American Journal of Life Sciences 3, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sadovy, YJ (1996) Reproduction of reef fishery species. In Polunin, NVC and Roberts, CMS (eds), Reef Fisheries. London: Chapman and Hall, pp. 15–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sala-Bozano, M and Mariani, S (2011) Life history variation in a marine teleost across a heterogeneous seascape. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 92, 555–563.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schnierer, S and Egan, H (2016) Composition of the aboriginal harvest of fisheries resources in coastal New South Wales, Australia. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 26, 693–709.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schilling, HT, Everett, JD, Smith, JA, Stewart, J, Hughes, JM, Roughan, M, Kerry, C and Suthers, IM (2020) Multiple spawning events promote increased larval dispersal of a predatory fish in a western boundary current. Fisheries Oceanography 29, 309–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, SG and Pankhurst, NW (1992) Interannual variation in the reproductive cycle of the New Zealand snapper Pagrus auratus (Bloch & Schneider) (Sparidae). Journal of Fish Biology 41, 685–695.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharpe, DM and Hendry, AP (2009) Life history change in commercially exploited fish stocks: an analysis of trends across studies. Evolutionary Applications 2, 260–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shinomiya, A, Yamada, M and Sunobe, T (2003) Mating system and protandrous sex change in the lizard flathead, Inegocia japonica (Platycephalidae). Ichthyological Research 50, 383–386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silberschneider, V, Gray, CA and Stewart, J (2009) Age, growth, maturity and the overfishing of the iconic sciaenid, Argyrosomus japonicus, in south-eastern Australia. Fisheries Research 95, 220–229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stearns, SC (1992) The Evolution of Life Histories. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Sunobe, T, Sakaida, S and Kuwamura, T (2016) Random mating and protandrous sex change of the platycephalid fish Thysanophrys celebica (Platycephalidae). Journal of Ethology 34, 15–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suthers, IM, Young, JW, Baird, ME, Roughan, M, Everett, JD, Brassington, GB, Byrne, M, Condie, SA, Hartog, JR, Hassler, CS, Hobday, AJ, Holbrook, NJ, Malcolm, HA, Oke, PR, Thompson, PA and Ridgway, K (2011) The strengthening East Australian Current, its eddies and biological effects – an introduction and overview. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 58, 538–546.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, BM and Choat, JH (2014) Comparative demography of commercially important parrotfish species from Micronesia. Journal of Fish Biology 84, 383–402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walsh, CT, Gray, CA, West, RJ and Williams, LFG (2011) Reproductive biology and spawning strategy of the catadromous perichthyid, Macquaria colonorum (Gunther, 1863). Environmental Biology of Fishes 91, 471–486.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wellenreuther, M and Clements, KD (2007) Reproductive isolation in temperate reef fishes. Marine Biology 152, 619–630.CrossRefGoogle Scholar