Latitudinal exploration of the temporalities of Spawning for some tropical fish species (Epinephelidae: Plectropomus spp., Mycteroperca spp. and Epinephelus spp.)

This study contributes to the existing knowledge of temporal reproduction patterns in tropical fish species which is potentially relevant to regional fisheries management. The latitudinal variation in Spawning Season Length (SSL) and its relationship with spawning season temperature (SPST) was explored, as well as the latitudinal variation in Spawning Aggregation Duration (SAD), through Spearman's rank coefficient. Additionally, the lunar synchrony of spawning and the time of day at which spawning occurs were described. We found variable trends for SSL with respect to latitude in the tropics; most patterns did not satisfactorily explain the variation in SSL. The minimum SPST consistently tended to be lower for longer spawning seasons, both within each species and for the entire dataset. We observed SSLs of one to six months across the entire range of latitudes (-30° to 35°) but most spawning seasons longer than six months were observed at latitudes lower than -4° or higher than 10°, where lower water temperatures can be found. The latitudinal tendencies of SAD were variable and poorly supported, but the data on Epinephelus striatus hinted that SSL may vary spatially. Furthermore, the studied species most likely follow lunar and semilunar spawning cycles which are likely to be related to specific daily spawning patterns.