Size at maturity of Mediterranean marine fishes

In this review we collected data on the length at maturity (L-m) and maximum reported total length (L-max) of 565 Mediterranean marine fish stocks, representing 150 species, 68 families, 24 orders and 3 classes. Overall, L-m ranged from 2 cm, for the males of the toothcarp Aphanius fasciatus, to 350 cm, for the females of the bluntnose sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus. L-m was positively linearly related with L-max for Actinopterygii (logL(m) = -0.123 + 0.92 x logL(max); r (2) = 0.87, n = 471, P < 0.001) and Elasmobranchii (logL(m) = -0.008 + 0.922 x logL(max); r (2) = 0.90, n = 92, P < 0.001) with the two slopes being significantly different (ANCOVA: F = 2,904, P < 0.001). The reproductive load (L-m/L-max) ranged between 0.23 (sand steenbras Lithognathus mormyrus) and 0.94 (angular roughshark Oxynotus centrina and thornback ray Raja clavata). The mean L-m/L-max was significantly (ANOVA, F = 34.14, P < 0.001) lower for Actinopterygii (mean = 0.59, SD = 0.122, n = 471) compared to Elasmobranchii (mean = 0.70, SD = 0.132, n = 92) and Holocephali (mean = 0.77, SD = 0.077, n = 2). The L-m/L-max was significantly (ANOVA, F = 43.80, P < 0.001) higher for species providing some form of parental care, i.e. guarders, bearers, nesters (mean L-m/L-max +/- A SD = 0.68 +/- A 0.141, n = 111) compared to non-guarders (mean L-m/L-max +/- A SD = 0.59 +/- A 0.123, n = 454). The mean L-m/L-max displayed a remarkable constancy with longitude (northern and southern Mediterranean coastline: ANOVA, F = 0.01, P = 0.93), latitude (western, central and eastern regions: ANOVA, F = 1.25, P = 0.29) and habitat (ANOVA, F = 0.85, P = 0.51).