title: Age and growth of the duckbill catfish (Sorubim cf. lima) in the Pantanal.
abstract: The Duckbill Catfish, Sorubim lima, is a predator of large South American rivers. The age and growth of S. lima were studied based on the pectoral fin-spines of samples collected from the Cuiabá River, Pantanal. The samples were taken from commercial and experimental hook-and-line fishing. An analysis of the marginal increment suggests that the growth rings are formed once a year during the dry season, from July to September (ANOVA type I: F = 4.183; g.l. = 3 and 104; p = 0.008). The estimate of the parameters that describe von Bertalanffy's growth curve by nonlinear regression of the observed lengths in the age were: L infinity = 56.0 cm (fork length); k = 0.245 year-1; to = -2.605 years. The animals were estimated to have a life span of 9.6 years. The findings indicate that the fork length is a good predictor of the age of individuals of this fish species.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, IB, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, CEP 78060-900, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil. jerrym@terra.com.br
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Penha
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Mateus
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbieri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002397:Catfishes / Q000254:growth & development*; D008136:Longevity; D045483:Rivers; D012621:Seasons