Age, growth, and mortality of Loligo vulgaris wild paralarvae: implications for understanding of the life cycle and longevity

9 páginas, 9 figuras, 4 tablas

Age, growth, and mortality were estimated for the first time in wild paralarvae of the common squid, Loligo vulgaris, by examining growth increments in the statoliths of 273 animals collected off the Ría de Vigo (NW Spain, NE Atlantic). Hatching was all year round for the period 2003–2005, with a peak during late spring and a secondary peak during early autumn. Paralarvae varied from 1260 to 7580 µm, and their abundance decreased abruptly as they grew. Statolith increments were clearly visible without grinding in almost all material, allowing reliable estimation of age. Paralarvae are planktonic for at least 3 months. Growth in dorsal mantle length (DML) during that period fitted an exponential equation. The instantaneous relative growth rates were 2.11, 2.15, and 1.82% DML d−1 for 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively, and there were no significant differences in size-at-age between the 3 years. Taking into account the growth rates estimated for the whole cycle of L. vulgaris, we suggest that the lifespan may previously have been underestimated by 3 months, because the proximity of the rings deposited during paralarval and early juvenile stages would prevent accuracy in enumerating the number of growth increments in later stages. The estimated instantaneous rate of total mortality during the first 90 d of a paralarva life was 9.6, 5.3, and 4.8% d−1 for 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively. Eye diameter was a reliable and rapid way of estimating DML and age

This research was funded by the CICYT (REN2002–02111/MAR and VEM2003–20010) and Xunta de Galicia (PGIDIT02–RMA–C40203PR) projects. Jaime Otero was supported by fellowships of the “Diputación Provincial de Pontevedra” and the European Social Fund-CSIC I3P postgraduate programme

Peer reviewed