We documented the spawning patterns of the leopard grouper,
Mycteroperca rosacea, from April to June 2005 in the central Gulf of California, Mexico to draw comparisons with other aggregate-spawning groupers
and provide information useful for management of their fishery. Adults formed spawning aggregations of 150 to >700 individuals
at specific sites, and spawning occurred daily at these sites from late April through early June. Courtship occurred throughout
the day, but spawning was restricted to the evening hours. Adults spawned in groups of 6–40 fish, and pair-spawning was not
observed. The group-spawning behavior of adults and the gonosomatic indices of mature males (maximum = 7.2%) suggest that
sperm competition was present. The site-specificity of leopard grouper spawning aggregations and diel spawning period were
typical of most aggregating groupers, and the size and structure of these aggregations was similar to other species in the
genus
Mycteroperca. Leopard grouper behavior patterns were unusual in that spawning aggregations persisted for extended periods, spawning was
not synchronized with the lunar cycle, and adults aggregated during non-spawning periods. The extensive duration and site-specificity
of spawning aggregations and the propensity of
M. rosacea to form aggregations year-round increases the vulnerability of the species to overfishing. Policies that limit harvest from
these aggregations are needed to improve the management of leopard grouper fisheries in the Gulf of California.
Communicated by P.W. Sammarco.