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Reproduction and feeding of the mountain mullet,Agonostomus monticola, in Trinidad, West Indies

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Reproduction and feeding were studied in mountain mullet,Agonostomus monticola, in northeast Trinidad during the period January 1987 to September 1988. Macroscopic and microscopic examination of the gonads indicated a single, distinct reproductive season from June to October during the wet season. Evidence implies only one spawning event per individual during the reproductive season. Females significantly outnumbered males resulting in a sex ratio of 20.4:1. The mean size at maturity for females was 135 mm fork length (FL). Fecundity (F) is related to size by the equations F = 167.3 FL2.7 and F = 16430.7 G + 235079 (G = gutted weight).A. monticola was found to be an omnivorous feeder. The dominant food groups found in the stomachs were insects, prawns, fruits and algae, in order of decreasing importance.

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Author notes

  1. Dawn A. T. Phillip

    Present address: Institute of Marine Affairs, P. O. Box 3160, Carenage, Trinidad

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

    Dawn A. T. Phillip

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  1. Dawn A. T. Phillip
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Phillip, D.A.T. Reproduction and feeding of the mountain mullet,Agonostomus monticola, in Trinidad, West Indies. Environ Biol Fish 37, 47–55 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00000711

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00000711

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