Biology and biometry of the roughneck grunt, Pomadasys corvinaeformis ( Steindachner) ( Teleostei : Pomadasyidae ), off Fortaleza, Ceará State, Brazil

Abstract

 were monitored from May 1991 to April1992, with a total catch of 537 individuais. Largest and smallest catches occurred, respectively in the bimesters May-June ( average of 29 individuais per haul) November-December ( average of 1 individual per haul ). The species' seasonal abundance varied similarly to the rainfall seasonal trend.l. Nearly all individuais caught were juveniles or imature at sizes rangingfrom 40 to 180 mm of totallength. The largest frequency of small-size individuais
in the first half of the year supports the hypothesis that juvenile recruitment occurs during the rainy season. The studied meristic and morphometric relations were within the standard ones described by other autors for the species. The diet of the roughneck grunt includes food items such as crustaceans, polychaetes, fishes and seaweed. The occurrence of mysids and copepods, abundant planktonic crustaceans in tropical waters, suggests that the species has a varied food item spectrum, including items distributed in along the water column.