CEPEDA, Erick; RODRIGUEZ, Andrea; GONZALEZ-BANCHON, Tanya    DUQUE-MARIN, Richard. Estimation of the age and gonadal maturation of Haemulopsis axillaris, collected in the fishing sector La Caleta de La Libertad, province of Santa Elena-Ecuador. []. , 5, 2, pp.10-21. ISSN 1390-7697.  https://doi.org/10.26423/rctu.v5i2.341..

A total of 232 specimens of Haemulopsis axillaris were examined, 123 (53%) males and 109 (47%) females, acquired weekly from October 2017 to January 2018 in the fishing sector La Caleta of La Libertad, province of Santa Elena. The gonadal maturation stage, otolith size and age were estimated for each organism. The range of length of the population ranged between 13, 60 and 35,70 cm, while the weight varied between 29,00 and 539,20 g. The macroscopic gonadal revision allowed to establish a domain of gonadal stage II, representing 45,26 % of organisms. The age was determined based on the reading of the concentric rings of the sagitta otoliths, establishing three age groups (0+, 1+, 2+). The organisms in stage III presented with greater frequency the presence of a concentric ring. The length-age correlation was established applying the von Bertalanffy growth curve model. The growth parameters were estimated using the Taylor method and the von Bertalanffy method, obtaining values of: L∞= 37,58 cm, t0= -0,54 y K= 0,69 year-1, which suggests that this is a kind of rapid growth in the first years of life and reaches in a few years its maximum theoretical length.

: otoliths; gonadal maduration; concentric ring; age; Haemulopsis axillaris.

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