Age and growth of Stephanolepis hispidus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Pisces: Monacanthidae), in the Canary Islands area

Abstract

The growth of the planedhead filefish Stephanolepis hispidus was studied on individuals sampled from a small-scale fishery off Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, central-east Atlantic) between March 1998 and August 1999.

The age of the sampled individuals, which ranged from 0 to 3 years, was estimated using both the length frequency distribution and the count of growth rings recorded on the anterior dorsal spine. The mean total length of the 0 age class was 10.9 cm, while the ages classes 1, 2 and 3 showed a mean length of 15.8, 19.4 and 21.4 cm, respectively.

Differences in the growth rhythms were observed between the sexes. The asymptotic lengths (L∞) were 25.7 and 27.4 cm for females and males, respectively. The curvature parameter (K) of the von Bertalanffy growth equation was 0.40 per year. The amplitude of the seasonal growth oscillation of the von Bertalanffy growth equation (C=0.15) and the Winter Point (WP=0.19) indicate a seasonality in the growth pattern, being slowest at the end of the winter.