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

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.