title: Reproductive aspects of the flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis from the Northeastern coastal waters of Brazil.
abstract: The epipelagic flyingfish, Hirundichthys affinis is a major artisanal fishery resource from the Northeastern coastal waters of Brazil. However, biological information about this species has been poorly documented. This paper presents data on the length-weight relationship, sex ratio, length at first sexual maturity, gonadal development and fecundity of H. affinis sampled from the coastal waters of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The total body length and weight for both sexes ranged from 23.4 to 29.4 cm and from 89 to 188g, respectively. The allometric coefficient of males was 2.208 and that of females was 2.985, indicating negatively allometric growth. The sex ratio was 1M:1.6F thus differing from the expected ratio of 1:1 (χ2 = 18.63). The total length at first sexual maturity was estimated at 27.3 cm for males and 27.1 cm for females. The macroscopic characteristics of the gonads indicated four maturation stages. Histological studies of gonads of H. affinis showed seven phases of oocyte development and four phases of spermatocyte development. The mean absolute fecundity was 9092 vitelogenic oocytes. Spawning occurred during the months of March to July. The microscopic descriptions of the stages of gonad maturation indicate that the study area is an important spawning ground of H. affinis.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, Center of Bioscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Oceanography and Limnology, Center of Bioscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphology, Center of Bioscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, Center of Bioscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Oceanography and Limnology, Center of Bioscience, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chellappa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D006066:Gonads / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons; D012744:Sex Ratio; D012741:Sexual Maturation