Age and growth of the axillary wrasse, Symphodus mediterraneus (L.) from the eastern Adriatic Sea

The age and growth of Symphodus mediterraneus were determined by examining the sagittal otoliths of 245 specimens (81 males, 160 females and four individuals of indeterminate sex) collected in the eastern Adriatic Sea between October and December 2009. Total lengths of males and females ranged from 74 to 154 mm and from 51 to 131 mm, respectively. Polished otoliths displayed well-defined alternating opaque and translucent rings. Age was determined by two independent readers who considered one opaque and one translucent ring to represent one year's growth. In order to determine the first annual ring we examined daily rings and concluded that the first opaque annulus roughly corresponds with the first year of life. Most of the specimens were between two and three years old, with the maximum observed age of three years for males and five years for females. The length-at-age was described by the von Bertalanffy growth curve and significant differences were found between males (L-infinity = 16.09 cm, k = 0.50 and t(0) = -0.83) and females (L-infinity = 14.11 cm, k = 0.33 and t(0) = -1.42).