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Meristic, morphometric and biological characteristics of the common moray eel (Muraena helena) in northern Tunisia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2018

Balkis Sallami ,
Aymen Ben Ibrahim ,
Mohamed Ben Salem  and
Nadia Chakroun-Marzouk
Balkis Sallami*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de recherche – Biodiversité, biotechnologie et changement climatique, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 2092 El Manar II, Tunisia
Aymen Ben Ibrahim
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d’écologie animale, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 2092 El Manar II, Tunisia
Mohamed Ben Salem
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de recherche – Biodiversité, biotechnologie et changement climatique, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 2092 El Manar II, Tunisia
Nadia Chakroun-Marzouk
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'ichtyologie fondamentale et appliquée, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 2092 El Manar II, Tunisia
*
Author for correspondence: Balkis Sallami, E-mail: balkis.sallami.f@gmail.com
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Abstract

Although common in the Mediterranean, the morphological and biological characteristics of the moray eel Muraena helena are largely unknown. This study, based on 310 specimens caught using a longline at a depth of 50–100 m, addresses this knowledge gap for northern Tunisia, which is a stronghold of the species. There were significantly more males than females, with a sex ratio of 1:1.5. The number of vertebrae between individuals were variable, especially abdominal and caudal vertebrae (range 56–72; 70–84, respectively). Overall, the total number of vertebrae was less variable (138–146 ± 3.6 SE) and similar between males and females. The length-length relationship recorded for M. helena is provided for the first time, with the pre-anal length (paL), pre-dorsal length (pdL) and the head length (hL) growing faster than the total length (TL). According to the weight-length relationship (WLR), positive allometric growth was established for males (b = 3.6), females (b = 3.46) and combined sexes (b = 3.54). The relative condition factor (CF) did not show significant differences between seasons. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) indicated a significant difference between the seasons for females, whilst the hepatosomatic index (HSI) highlighted a significant difference between seasons for both males and females.

Keywords

Muraena helenanorthern Tunisian coastsreproductionsomatic growthvertebrae
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 99 , Issue 4 , June 2019 , pp. 941 - 946
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2018 

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