Age, Growth, and Reproductive Biology of Euchiloglanis davidi in the Middle and Lower Yalong River, China

In the present study, we investigated the age, growth, and reproductive characteristics of Euchiloglanis davidi, a species of Sisoridae fishes, from the Yalong River, China. Fish samples were collected from the tributaries of the middle and lower Yalong River in May 2013 and December 2015. Their standard length ranged from 67 to 190 mm, and the total weight ranged from 3.42 to 75.06 g. The age and growth pattern of E. davidi were determined using the vertebra. Furthermore, the sampled fish were categorized into 10 age groups (1–10 years old): the maximum age was 10 years and 9 years for male and female fish, respectively. The relationship between the standard length and weight was expressed as W = 6.744 × 10−5 L2.653, and the t-test showed allometric growth. The growth of E. davidi was defined by the von Bertalanffy growth function, described as Lt = 260.8(1−e−0.104(t+1.942)), Wt = 173.5(1−e−0.104(t+1.942))2.653, respectively. The growth inflection point was observed at 7.44 years, with corresponding length and weight values of 162.50 mm and 49.46 g. The fecundity ranged from 105 to 352 eggs, with an average of 205 eggs. The relative fecundity of weight (FW) ranged from 2.90 to 8.98 eggs/g, and the relative fecundity of length (FL) ranged from 0.71 to 2.11 eggs/mm. Altogether, these characteristics of slow growth and low fecundity demonstrated the vulnerability of E. davidi to exploitation in the middle and lower reaches of the Yalong River.