The Hardhead Catfish Ariopsis felis and Gafftopsail Catfish Bagre marinus are marine catfishes that have low recreational and commercial landings in U.S. waters, although they are among the most abundant species in coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Few biological studies exist on marine catfishes, with most studies focusing on their unique reproductive biology. This study evaluated weight–length relationships for Gafftopsail Catfish (n = 264) and Hardhead Catfish (n = 823) sampled from across coastal Louisiana, USA, during 2016–2018; subsamples (93 and 266, respectively) were aged using lapilli for age and growth analyses. Hardhead Catfish showed a small but significant difference in weight as a function of length between males and females, with females being slightly heavier than males at any given length. No sexual dimorphism in weight and length was observed in Gafftopsail Catfish. Ages ranged from 0 to 10 years for Gafftopsail Catfish and from 0 to 24 years for Hardhead Catfish. Both sexes of Gafftopsail Catfish attained larger maximum average sizes (asymptotic length L_∞) and exhibited larger growth coefficients (k) than both sexes of Hardhead Catfish. Length at age of Hardhead Catfish in Louisiana was greater than that of Florida fish. The estimated k for Gafftopsail Catfish in Louisiana was almost three times greater than that observed in Florida, with fish reaching their L_∞ rapidly compared to those in Florida. Given the increasing evidence for an equilibrium life history strategy (i.e., K strategy), the spatial differences in size at age, and the potential for increased exploitation, continued investigations into both species’ biology and life history should be undertaken.

中文翻译：

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美国路易斯安那州沿海的硬头Cat鱼和Gafftopsail fish鱼的年龄和生长

硬头Cat鱼Ariopsis felis和Gafftopsail fish鱼Bagre marinus是海洋cat鱼，尽管它们是墨西哥湾沿岸水域中最丰富的物种之一，但它们在美国水域的休闲和商业着陆较少。很少有关于海洋cat鱼的生物学研究，大多数研究集中在其独特的生殖生物学上。这项研究评估了Gafftopsail fish鱼（n  =  264）和Hardhead Cat鱼（n  = 823）在2016-2018年期间从美国路易斯安那州沿海地区抽样；子样本（分别为93和266）使用lapilli进行了年龄和生长分析。硬头Cat鱼在雄性和雌性之间的体重随长度的变化显示出微小但显着的差异，在任何给定的长度下，雌性都比雄性略重。在Gafftopsail Cat鱼中未观察到体重和长度的性别差异。Gafftopsail fish鱼的年龄范围为0至10岁，硬头Cat鱼的年龄范围为0至24岁。海鲿的两性获得较大的最大的平均尺寸（渐近长度大号_∞），并显示较大的增长系数（ķ）比“硬头Cat鱼”的性别都高。路易斯安那州的硬头Cat鱼的年龄长于佛罗里达州的鱼。估计ķ为海鲿在路易斯安那州比在佛罗里达观察到的大得多几乎三次，用鱼达到它们的大号_∞迅速相比，那些在佛罗里达州。鉴于越来越多的证据表明采取了平衡的生活史策略（即K策略），年龄大小的空间差异以及增加剥削的潜力，应继续研究物种的生物学和生活史。