Abstract
The checkered snapper, Lutjanus decussatus, is an important species for fisheries in the Okinawan region. This study estimated the reproduction of this lutjanid species in the waters around Ishigaki Island. The main spawning season was estimated to be between June and October, since oocytes at the maturation stage and/or postovulatory follicles were found during the study period. In the main spawning season, high gonadosomatic index values were found around the time of the last quarter moon for each month from June to September. It is suggested that L. decussatus is a lunar-synchronized spawner off Ishigaki Island.
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Acknowledgments
We express our grateful thanks to S. Sakihara and T. Sakihara for their assistance in collecting samples, M. Mukai and S. Mamiya for the laboratory work, and the staff of Ishigaki Tropical Station, Seikai National Fisheries Research Institute for their support in the present study. Constructive comments on the manuscript from C. P. Norman, K. Yoseda and two anonymous reviewers were much appreciated. We also thank the Yaeyama Fishermen’s Cooperative Association for permission to collect the samples.
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Nanami, A., Okuzawa, K., Yamada, H. et al. Reproductive activity in the checkered snapper, Lutjanus decussatus, off Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. Ichthyol Res 57, 314–318 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-010-0155-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-010-0155-5