Contributions to the biology of the panga <i>Pterogymnus laniarus</i> (Pisces : Sparidae): age, growth and reproduction

Abstract

All the fish used in this investigation were caught by commercial side trawlers along the eastern Cape coast of South Africa. Age and growth of P. laniarius was determined from otoliths collected monthly from April 1974 to September 1975. The validity of annuli was proved by monthly edge examination of the otoliths. There is no difference in growth between the sexes. The Von Bertalanffy equation L_t = 48,1 (l-e-^{0,10(e + 0.22)}) was found to describe the growth of the panga in length. Some fish become sexually mature at a total length of 26 cm. Fifty percent maturity is attained at a length of 28 cm, between the ages of 4 and 5 years. All fish are sexually mature at a total length of 32 cm, at an age of 6 years. The spawning season of the panga extends from mid-September to May.