Reproductive Characteristics of the Common Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis, Linnaeus, 1758) Population Distributed in the Antalya Bay

Abstract

Cuttlefish are members of the cephalopod class, that die en masse following a single breeding season (monocyclic spawning). In line with changes in environmental factors, they spent their lives in coastal areas at a depth range of 0-200 m. Although adults prefer deep areas before breeding season, they migrate to coastal areas again for breeding activity and die as a result of natural factors at the end of the breeding period. Knowledge of the life cycle and especially the reproduction phase of their life is crucial information to be able to sustainably exploit these species. Even though the coastline of Turkey, due to the variations of the environmental conditions, it's known that there are differences in reproductive characteristics among the subpopulations of the species.To determine the reproductive characteristics of the Antalya Bay subpopulation of the species, a total of 516 individuals (247 male and 269 female individuals) were examined. The mantle length of the examined individuals ranged between 45 – 177 mm. By using the morphologic characters 4 stages of sexual maturity could be observed for both sexes. Within the scope of our study, the relationship between height and weight, gonad development status (sexual maturity indices) and the number of eggs in female individuals with biometric characters were determined for the population in the sampling area.