Reproduction of Atherina lagunae from the Tunis North Lake

Nedia Ayed, Eric Faure, Jean-Pierre Quignard, Monia Trabelsi

Laboratory of Analysis, Topology and Probability 7353, Aix-Marseille Universités, Marseille, France.
Laboratory of Ichthyology, University of Montpellier II, Montpellier, France.
Unit of Marine Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University Campus, Tunis El Manar, Tunisia.

DOI: 10.4236/jwarp.2012.49089                

Abstract

In this study, the reproduction of the sand smelt, Atherina lagunae, from the Tunis North Lake is investigated. The smallest mature female was 39 mm total length (TL). Fifty percent of the females were mature at 58 mm (TL). The yearly and monthly average gonadosomatic indexes (GSI) are presented. The average value of GSI for the 12-month period was respectively 3.02%, 2.57% and 2.8% for females, males and both sexes. The GSI began to increase in March (2.37% for females and 2.12% for males). The maximum GSI was recorded in May, 11.29% for females and 10.03% for males. The highest values were recorded between March and July, indicating the reproduction period of Atherina lagunae in the Tunis North Lake. Similar GSI values were recorded in sand smelt males from brackish lagoons of southern France.

Keywords

Atherina lagunae; Tunis North Lake; Tunisia; Reproduction; GSI

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	J.-P. Quignard and A. Pras, “Atherinidae,” In: P. J. P. White-head, M. L. Bauchot, J. C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese, Eds., Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, UNESCO, Paris, 1986, pp. 1207-1210.
[2]	A. Kiener and C. J. Spillmann, “Contribution to the Systematic and Ecological Study of Atherines of the French Coasts,” Memoirs of the National Museum of Natural History, Series A, Vol. 60, No. 2, 1969, pp. 33-74.
[3]	J. P. Marfin, “Problems Related to Polymorphism of Atherina Species boyeri Risso, 1810,” Cybium, Vol. 6, No. 4, 1982, pp. 19-26.
[4]	M. Trabelsi and F. Kartas, “Contribution to the Study of Digital Characters of Sandsmelt Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 in The Tunisian Coast,”Report of the International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean Sea, Vol. 29, No. 4, 1985, pp. 187-189.
[5]	M. Trabelsi, J. P. Quignard, J. A. Tomasini, M. Boussaid, B. Focant and F. Maamouri, “Discriminative Value of the Meristic Characteristics of Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 Lagoon Populations,” Vie et Milieu, Vol. 52, No. 2-3, 2002, pp. 34-39.
[6]	M. Trabelsi M, A. Gilles, C. Fleury, J.-P. Quignard, M, Maamouri and E. Faure, “Atherina punctata and Atherina lagunae (Pisces, Atherinidae), New Species Found in the Mediterranean Sea. Article 2: Molecular Investigations of Three Atherinid Species,” Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences (Ser. III), Vol. 325, No. 11, 2002, pp. 1119-1128.
[7]	O. Gon and A. Ben-Tuvia, “The Biology of Boyer’s Sand Smelt, Atherina boyeri Risso in the Bardawil Lagoon on the Mediterranean Coast of Sinai,” Journal of Fish Biology, Vol. 22, No. 5, 1983, pp. 537-547. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1983.tb04213.x
[8]	P. A. Henderson and R. Bamber, “On the Reproductive Biology of the Sand Smelt Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 (Pisces: Atherinidae) and Its Evolutionary Potential,” Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol. 32, No. 4, 1987, pp. 395-415. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1987.tb00440.x
[9]	A. Kiener and C. J. Spillmann, “Supplementary Note to the Systematic Study on Ecological of Atherina boyeri Risso (Pisces, Cyprinidae) in the Current Zone Dispersion,”Newsletter of the National Museum of Natural History, Vol. 55, No. 41, 1972, pp. 563-580.
[10]	A. Kiener and C. J. Spillmann, “Atherinidae,” In: J. C. Hureau and Th. Monod, Eds., Check-List of the Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and of the Mediterranean (CLOFNAM), UNESCO, Paris, 1979, pp. 576-578.
[11]	E. Tortonese, “Osteichthyes (Bony Fish) Part Two,” Fauna of Italy, Vol. 11, 1975, pp. 1-636.
[12]	N. Ayed, E. Faure, J.-P. Quignard and M. Trabelsi, “Lordosis in Natural Population of Atherina lagunae from the Tunis North Lake,”Journal of the Society of Natural Sciences of Tunisia, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2010, pp. 1-12.
[13]	N. Ayed, E. Faure, J-P. Quignard and M. Trabelsi, “Determination of P, Ca, Zn, Cd and Pb Concentrations in Muscle, Gills, Liver, Gonads and Skeletons of Two Natural Populations of Atherina lagunae from the Tunis North Lake, Tunisia,” Journal of Water Resource and Protection, Vol. 3, No. 6, 2011. pp. 421-428. doi:10.4236/jwarp.2011.36052
[14]	N. Ayed, E. Faure, J-P. Quignard, F. Maamouri and M. Trabelsi, “Incidence of Kyphosis Deformities in Natural Population of Atherina lagunae (Trabelsi et al., 2002) from the Tunis North Lake, Tunisia,” Marine Biology, Vol. 153, No. 3, 2008, pp. 319-325. doi:10.1007/s00227-007-0813-y
[15]	R. J. Wootton, “Ecology of Teleost Fishes,” Chapman and Hall, London, 1990.
[16]	J. A. Tomasini, D. Collart and J. P. Quignard, “Female Reproductive Biology of the Sand Smelt in Brackish Lagoons of Southern France,” Journal of Fish Biology, Vol. 49, No. 4, 1996, pp. 594-612. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1996.tb00057.x
[17]	C. Fernandez-Delgado and J. A. Hernando, “Morphometric Relationships of Atherina boyeri Risso (Pisces: Atherinidae) of Zonar Lake (Cordoba, Spain),” Donana, Acta Vertebrata, Vol. 9, No. 2, 1982, pp. 13-25.
[18]	M. M. Fouda, “Life History Strategies of Four Small-Size Fishes in the Suez Canal, Egypt,” Journal of Fish Biology, Vol. 46, No. 4, 1994, pp. 687-702. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1995.tb01104.x
[19]	I. Jardas, “Jadranska Ihtiofauna ?Adriatic Ichthyofauna?,” Skolska Knjiga, Zagreb, 1996.
[20]	A. Pallaoro, M. Franicevic and S. Matic, “Age, Growth and Mortality of Big-Scale Sand Smelt, Atherina (Hepsetia) boyeri Risso, 1810 in the Pantana Lagoon, Croatia,” Periodicum Biologorum, Vol. 104, No. 2, 2002, pp. 175-183.
[21]	J. A. Tomasini and T. Laugier, “Male Reproductive Strategy and Reserve Allocation in Sand Smelt from Brackish Lagoons of Southern France,” Journal of Fish Biology, Vol. 60, No. 3, 2002, pp. 521-531. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb01681.x
[22]	E. Rosecchi and A. J. Crivelli, “Study of a Sand Smelt (Atherina boyeri Risso 1810) Population Reproducing in Fresh Water,” Ecology of Freshwater Fish, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1992, pp. 77-85. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0633.1992.tb00076.x
[23]	C. Fernandez-Delgado, J. A. Hernando, M. Herrera and M. Bellido, “Life History Patterns of the Sandsmelt Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 in the Estuary of the Guadal- quivir River, Spain,” Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Vol. 27, No. 6, 1988, pp. 697-706. doi:10.1016/0272-7714(88)90076-5
[24]	V. Bartulovi?, B. Glamuzina, A. Conides, J. Dulcic, D. Lucic, J. Njire and V. Ko?ul, “Age, Growth, Mortality and Sex Ratio of Sand Smelt, Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 (Pisces: Atherinidae) in the Estuary of the Mala Neretva River (Middle-Eastern Adriatic, Croatia),” Journal of Applied Ichthyology, Vol. 20, No. 5, 2004, pp. 427-430. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0426.2004.00560.x
[25]	P. A. Henderson, A. W. H. Turnpenny and R. N. Bamber, “Long Term Stability of a Sand Smelt (Atherina presbyter Cuvier) Population Subject to Power Station Cropping,” Journal of Applied Ecology, Vol. 21, No. 1, 1984, pp. 1-10. doi:10.2307/2403034
[26]	P. Tutman, B. Glamuzina, B. Skaramuca, V. Kozul, N. Glavic and D. Lucic, “Incidence of Spinal Deformities in Natural Populations of Sandsmelt, Atherina boyeri (Risso, 1810) in the Neretva River Estuary Middle Adriatic,” Fisheries Research, Vol. 45, No. 1, 2000, pp. 61-64. doi:10.1016/S0165-7836(99)00098-3