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Here, the authors investigate the evolution of scientific literature on the Atlantic goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara), the largest grouper species in the Atlantic. This species was considered threatened according to the IUCN for nearly three decades due to overfishing and has been protected from fishing in a large part of its range. For the purpose of evaluating the scientific production on an endangered species banned from fishing, the authors present a scientometry and synthesis review analysing the literature produced in the timeline and the content of their studies. To this end, they set up an almost 60‐year literary database through the Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar platforms. They analyse the publication and knowledge area patterns over the time in the world and in Brazil. They also feature the main areas, locations, ecosystems and types of those research studies and briefly describe the main records found in each decade. An increase in the number of publications was observed from the 1990s onwards worldwide, and particularly in Brazil from the 2000s, coinciding with the pioneering legislations for species protection. Most of the studies were classified within ecology and conservation and took place in countries that implemented moratoriums and had extensive areas of mangroves. Thus, fishing moratorium, classification as endangered, mangroves distribution and conservation all play a role in the studies distribution and contribute positively to the knowledge, as well as support conservation strategies for the species and its ecosystems of occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, seasonal numerical abundance of the critically endangered Atlantic goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara was estimated by conducting scuba dive surveys and calculating sightings-per-unit-effort ( SPUE) at three sites in southern Brazil. Seasonal differences in size and reproductive condition of captured or confiscated specimens were compared. The SPUE differed significantly with season, increasing in late spring and peaking during the austral summer months. A significant effect was observed in the number of fish relative to the lunar cycle. All females sampled during the summer were spawning capable, while all those sampled during other seasons were either regressing or regenerating. What these data strongly infer is that the E. itajara spawning aggregation sites have been located in the southern state of Paraná and the northern state of Santa Catarina and summer is the most likely spawning season. Size frequency distributions, abundance and reproductive state were estimated and correlated with environmental variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two specimens of African hind Cephalopholis taeniops (Valenciennes, 1828) are recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, in the coastal area of Gulf of Syrte, Libya. This finding represents an additional case of a tropical species of fish of West African origin in the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in the morphology of saccular otoliths (sagittae) among three sympatric species of the genus Serranus( S. atricauda, S. cabrilla and S. scriba) from the Canary Islands were investigated. Although the otolith gross morphology was similar among species, S. scriba was distinct in having a rostrum which had a slight turning at the tip and a more funnel-like ostium. The shallower water species ( S. scriba) had otolith and sulcus areas which were smaller than the deeper water species ( S. cabrilla and S. atricauda). The sulcus acusticus and ostium size were correlated with the habit depth of the species, with the highest values in the deepest species, S. cabrilla. The otolith outline shape indices changed with size (total length) of the species, and allowed the separation of the species by means of a discriminate function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]