Peniche-Pérez J.C., González-Salas C., Villegas-Hernández H., Díaz-Gamboa R., Aguilar-Perera A., Guillen-Hernández S., Poot-López G.R. 2019. Reproductive biology of the southern pufferfish, Sphoeroides nephelus (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae), in the northern coast off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Acta Ichthyol. Piscat. 49 (2): 133–146.

摘要

Background. Overexploitation of fishery resources has led to the capture of alternative species of a lower trophic level, considered previously unprofitable or unfit for human consumption. The southern pufferfish, Sphoeroides nephelus (Goode et Bean, 1882), is a bycatch species of the recreational fishery in the USA and Mexico. Unlike other species of the genus Sphoeroides, there is no background on their reproductive cycle. Therefore, this study aimed to describe several reproductive traits (sex ratio, gonadal development, annual reproductive cycle, and fecundity) of specimens from the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. This kind of information might serve as a point of reference for its potential use either in the pharmaceutical industry, aquarium trade, as well as in aquaculture.