Model Selection Applied to Growth of the Stingray <i>Urotrygon chilensis</i> (Günther, 1872) in the Southeastern Mexican Pacific
The present study analyzed the growth pattern of the stingray <i>Urotrygon chilensis</i> caught as bycatch by the shrimp fishery in the southeastern Mexican Pacific. From January to December 2012, the thoracic vertebrae of 491 females and 205 males were collected. Female ages ranged from...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Fishes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/10/5/232 |
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| Summary: | The present study analyzed the growth pattern of the stingray <i>Urotrygon chilensis</i> caught as bycatch by the shrimp fishery in the southeastern Mexican Pacific. From January to December 2012, the thoracic vertebrae of 491 females and 205 males were collected. Female ages ranged from 0 to 14 years, whereas male ages ranged from 0 to 12 years. The marginal increment and edge analyses suggested the annual formation of growth bands in the vertebrae. The size-at-age data were analyzed using the multimodel inference approach; six candidate growth models were compared, including models with a theoretical age-at-zero total length, mean size-at-birth, and generalized models. Based on Akaike’s information criterion, the best statistical fit to the size-at-age data was the two-phase Gompertz growth model (k = −0.13, G = 1.59, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>L</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> = 10.40) for males and the two-parameter Gompertz growth model (k = 1.42, α = 0.15, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>L</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>0</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> = 10.90) for females. In this study, we compare the growth parameters among batoid species, finding that <i>U. chilensis</i> has a relatively short lifespan, slower growth, and that females are larger than males. |
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| ISSN: | 2410-3888 |