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Age and growth of the four-spotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) in eastern Mediterranean waters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2001

V. Vassilopoulou
Affiliation:
National Centre for Marine Research, Hellinikon 166 04, Athens
I. Ondrias
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Patras, Patras, Greece

Abstract

This paper analyses the age and growth pattern of the four-spotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii), collected in the north Aegean Sea. The otoliths of the species exhibit bilateral asymmetry. Our data indicates that males have shorter lifespans (0–6 y) than females (0–8 y) and reach lower asymptotic lengths. A significant difference in growth rate exists between the two sexes after the first year of life. Growth in length is greater in females than males, whereas males appeared to be heavier than females of the same size. The latter was also corroborated by the higher accumulation of lipids in the muscle of males in relation to females. The growth rate of the species in the Atlantic was higher than in the Mediterranean. The oligotrophic character of the study area seemed to have a negative effect on the growth of megrims.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1999 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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