Seasonal changes in gonad maturity, proximate and fatty acid composition of Limbaugh’s damselfish, Chromis limbaughi Greenfield & Woods, 1980 (Pisces: Pomacentridae)

Paper description: Limbaugh’s damselfish ( Chromis limbaughi ) is exploited for the aquarium trade, with all fish captured in the wild. Knowledge of its reproductive biology can contribute to the development of captive breeding, which would alleviate fishing pressure and support stock enhancement. · This investigation of the reproductive biology of C. limbaughi included its sexual system, seasonal gonad maturity, size at first sexual maturity, fatty acid composition. W ater quality under which C. limbaughi matured was measured and should prove useful for broodstock management in captivity. Abstract: Limbaugh’s damselfish, Chromis limbaughi Greenfield & Woods, 1980, is endemic to the Gulf of California, and one of the five most exploited species for the aquarium trade in this region. C. limbaughi is a gonochoristic, gregarious and territorial species without sexual dimorphism that inhabits rocky, sheltered areas. Development of captive breeding techniques for this species would not only ensure a continued supply of fish for the commercial trade, but perhaps more importantly, it would also alleviate fishing pressure and support stock enhancement. Thus, as a first step towards achieving these goals, in this work, we investigated some aspects of the reproductive biology of C. limbaughi . Seasonal fish samplings, with a total of eighty-nine fish caught in one year, were carried out at San Esteban Island, Gulf of California, Mexico. The reproductive season of C. limbaughi extends, at least, from May to September. A new maximum standard length of 10.5 cm is reported for this species. The estimated size at first sexual maturity was 7.90 cm for males and 7.59 cm for females . For both male and female gonads, the major constituent fatty acids were palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and arachidonic acid. The water-quality conditions under which maturation of C. limbaughi took place were measured, and should prove useful for the management of broodstock in captivity. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS190613058G Received: June 13, 2019; Revised: August 5, 2019; Accepted: September 3, 2019; Published online: September 12, 2019 How to cite this article: Gonzalez-Felix ML , Perez-Velazquez M, Canedo-Orihuela H. Seasonal changes in gonad maturity, proximate and fatty acid composition of Limbaugh’s damselfish, Chromis limbaughi Greenfield & Woods, 1980 (Pisces: Pomacentridae). Arch Biol Sci. 2019;71(4):755-65.