Age, growth, reproduction and mortality of Xenocypris argentea (Günther,1868) in the lower reaches of the Tangwang River, China

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2024-01, Vol.12, p.e16673-e16673, Article e16673
• Main Authors: Li, Peilun, Liu, Jiacheng, Lu, Wanqiao, Sun, Shuyang, Wang, Jilong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Analysis; Aquaculture, Fisheries and Fish Science; Biology; Body weight; Commercial fishing; Conservation Biology; Ecology; Eggs; Exploitation rate; Fatality estimates; Fecundity; Fish; Fisheries management; Fishes; Fishing; Freshwater Biology; Growth; Growth characteristics; Growth patterns; Health aspects; Isometric; Laboratory animals; Length-weight relationships; Life history; Maturity; Spawning; Water quality; Water temperature; Xenocypris argentea
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16673

To investigate various population biological parameters of in the lower reaches of the Tangwang River (China), a comprehensive study was conducted for the first time. A total of 1,003 samples were collected from April to November 2022. The collected samples revealed that female had total lengths ranging from 12.4 cm to 25.7 cm (weighing 15.86 g to 159.55 g), and male had total lengths ranging from 10.8 cm to 23.9 cm (weighing 9.27 g to 121.06 g). The age of the samples was determined using otolith analysis, indicating that the ages ranged from 1 to 5 years old in both females and males. The length-weight relationships were further analyzed, uncovering the allometric growth index ( ) was 3.1296 for females, indicating a positive allometric growth pattern. Differently, males exhibited a value of 3.0274, suggesting an isometric growth pattern. Furthermore, the von Bertalanffy growth formula provided insights into the growth characteristics of , revealing an asymptotic total length ( ) of 36.096 cm and a growth coefficient ( ) of 0.121. The analysis of the gonadal somatic index ( ) and ovarian development period indicated that the spawning period occurred from April to July, with peak spawning in June. The study also explored fecundity-related traits, finding that individual absolute fecundity ( ) ranged from 11,364 eggs to 56,377 eggs, while eviscerated body weight relative fecundity ( ) ranged from 209 eggs/g to 823 eggs/g. The exploitation rate ( ) for was calculated as 0.574, suggesting that the population of has been overexploited. By revealing previously unknown data on the key life history traits of , this study has provided valuable insights that are crucial for the development of conservation strategies and policies.