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Life-history traits of a widely distributed coral reef fish, Mulloidichthys flavolineatus (Mullidae), Okinawa Island, southern Japan

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Abstract

Yellowstripe goatfish, Mulloidichthys flavolineatus, is a widely distributed commercial fish in the Indo-Pacific. However, there have been few comprehensive studies on its life history, which is important for resource management. In this study, we examined age, growth, sexual maturity, and spawning season of M. flavolineatus near Okinawa Island, southern Japan, based on sectioned otolith and gonadal histology. These fish have short life spans, with a maximum age of 5 + years and reach maturation within the first year of life. Monthly changes in the appearance of an opaque edge indicate annual production of otolith bands. This fish shows sexual size dimorphism due to the faster growth of females compared to males. The von Bertalanffy growth functions were Lt = 31.5{1-exp[-0.61(t + 0.44)]} for females and Lt = 24.8{1-exp[-0.75(t + 0.48)]} for males. Observed fork lengths at 50% maturity were 17.0 cm for female and 14.5 cm for male. The spawning season occurs from May to September, and the peak is from May to July. Histological observations and fish market surveys indicate that the peak spawning and catching seasons overlap substantially. The development pattern of oocytes in the Okinawan fish showed group synchronous spawning, which indicates a different spawning strategy than that of this species with genetic continuity in other regions.

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank fishermen and the staff members of Okinawan fish markets for providing the necessary information concerning the specimens at capture. We thank H. Shindate for collecting fresh specimens at fish markets. We thank A. Ebisawa (Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries Research and Extension Center) and I. Ohta (Fisheries Division of Okinawa Prefectural Government) for using the device when preparing the microscopic sample. We also thank the members of the Laboratory of Fisheries Biology and Coral Reef Studies in the Faculty of Science at the University of the Ryukyus for supporting this study. This study was supported by the Okinawa Prefectural Government and the government subsidy-related Okinawa Promotion.

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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Shota Samejima and Masato Uehara. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Shota Samejima, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shota Samejima.

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Samejima, S., Uehara, M. & Tachihara, K. Life-history traits of a widely distributed coral reef fish, Mulloidichthys flavolineatus (Mullidae), Okinawa Island, southern Japan. Environ Biol Fish 104, 1559–1574 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01168-7

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