Abstract
The Alligatorfish (Aspidophoroides monopterygius) is one of numerous non-commercial marine fishes for which basic elements of life history and biology are poorly known. More than 200 individuals were collected from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, in September 2000 and 2001, during fisheries-independent surveys. The standard length of Alligatorfish averaged 10.9 cm in 2000 and 9.2 cm in 2001, and putative age ranged between 2 and 7 years. Males possessed significantly longer pelvic fins, relative to body size, than females. We hypothesize that Alligatorfish undergo internal gametic association and that spawning takes place in mid- to late-autumn. Diet was comprised primarily of amphipods and isopods; other diet items included euphausiids, mysids, copepods, pteropods and calcareous algae. Based on analysis of individuals collected in 2000, 6.8% were affected by parasites (nematodes). Our research on the life history and ecology of Alligatorfish contributes to our knowledge of the biodiversity of Canada's sub-Arctic marine fish fauna.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 353-362 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Environmental Biology of Fishes |
| Volume | 87 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Acknowledgements We are particularly grateful to Tom Hurlbut, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Moncton, Canada, for his assistance in obtaining the samples during DFO’s groundfish survey in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. The research was funded by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grant to JAH, a NSERC Undergraduate Student Award to JHA, and a Canada Council For Innovation Grant to JAH.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Aquatic Science
