Aspects of the reproductive biology and gonad histology of Pagellus erythrinus (Actinopterygii: perciformes: Sparidae) in the Gulf of Antalya, NE Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

This study examined the histological and anatomical changes in the gonads of the common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus L., 1758), a member of the Sparidae family, collected from the Gulf of Antalya (36° 49’ N, 30° 38’ E; 36° 46’ N, 31° 18’ E), NE Mediterranean Sea. A total of 273 specimens were sampled monthly from the region. The gonads were immediately dissected and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formaldehyde for 24–48 h, followed by Bouin’s solution for eight hours. They were then embedded in paraffin blocks after routine histological processing. Tissue Sect. (5 μm thick) were stained using hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff techniques for detailed analysis. As a protogynous hermaphrodite species, the common pandora exhibited four primary stages of gonadal development: the immature stage, female maturation stages (F1–F6), transitional stages (T1–T3), and male maturation stages (M1–M5). Based on these findings, it is recommended that fishing bans be enforced from late April to early September, coinciding with the species’ breeding season in the NE Mediterranean Sea.