Maturità? sessuale, età? e accrescimento della mormora, Lithognathus mormyrus (L., 1758) (Pisces; Sparidae) costa sud occidentale della Sicilia

Lithgnathus mormyrus (L., 1758) (Pisces: Sparidae) was investigated in the south coast of Sicily between 1997 and September 1998. A total of 781 specimens were collected in two sample ports, Selinunte and Licata. Otoliths clearly showed the ring pattern common to teleost fishes. The analysis of marginal increment showed one peak in July (95%). The von Bertalanffy growth parameters for all fish and for each port. Selinunte and Licata were: L =383.9 mm, K=0.24, t0=-1.017 and L[infinity].=384.4 mm, K=0.2, t0 =1.4833, respectively. The sex ratio for Selinunte and Licata was: 0.49 and 0.43, respectively. The maturity length for males and females was 181,4-189,75 mm and 171,2-182,97 mm for Selinunte and Licata, respectively. Both, sex ratio change to females and decrease of the mean total length between 3 and 4 years of age support the hypothesis that this is the period of sexual inversion. The age structure of Selinunte and Licata showed that 99% and 90%, respectively of specimens were older than the age of maturity so probably the resource mormora is not overexploited.