| Title | Biology of the Antarctic eelpout Pachycara brachycephalum |
| Author | Brodte, E.; Knust, R.; Portner, H.O.; Arntz, W.E. |
| Author Affil | Brodte, E., Alfred-Wegener- Institut for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Federal Republic of Germany. Other: Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Federal Republic of Germany |
| Source | EASIZ; ecology of the Antarctic sea ice zone. Deep-Sea Research. Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 53(8-10), p.1131- 1140; [EASIZ; ecology of the Antarctic sea ice zone final symposium, Korcula, Croatia, Sept. 27-Oct. 1, 2004]; edited by A. Clarke, W.E. Arntz and C.R. Smith. Publisher: Elsevier, Oxford, International. ISSN: 0967- 0645 |
| Publication Date | Apr., 2006 |
| Notes | In English. Based on Publisher- supplied data GeoRef Acc. No: 301071 |
| Index Terms | Antarctica--Antarctic Peninsula; Southern Ocean; Actinopterygii; Antarctic Peninsula; Antarctica; biology; Chordata; growth; living taxa; Osteichthyes; otoliths; Pachycara brachycephalum; Perciformes; physiology; Pisces; reproduction; statistical analysis; Teleostei; temperature; Vertebrata; Zoarcidae |
| Abstract | The aim of this study was to relate the distribution of the Antarctic eelpout, Pachycara brachycephalum, to available physiological data, and to detect constraints in life history and biology. A population of Pachycara brachycephalum from the Antarctic Peninsula was investigated with regard to its growth and fecundity. At this sampling site, the species occurs in water depths around 400 m, much shallower than where it is found in high Antarctic waters. The age of this species was determined by applying the annulus count method to the otoliths. Growth parameters, which show no strong sexual dimorphism, are L~=36.0 cm; k=0.12; t0=-1.75 (male) and L~=36.0 cm; k=0.10; t0=-2.99 (female). The maximum age found was 14 years, and maturity is reached after 5 years. At the end of July, females spawn about 80 eggs with a diameter of 9 mm. The smallest fish found so far was an early juvenile of 4.4 cm. The life style characteristics of this species are similar to other polar and boreal eelpout species, supporting the uniformity of the Zoarcidae in general traits. |
| URL | http://hdl.handle.net/10.1016/j.dsr2.2006.02.011 |
| Publication Type | conference paper or compendium article |
| Record ID | 88826 |