El espadín del Mediterráneo occidental (Clupea sprattus var. phalerica Risso)

22 pages, 4 tables, 9 figures[EN] A study of the biology of the mediterranean Clupea sprattus based on 1,960 specimens caught around the Ebro mouth. A great proportion of places where the species has been found receive a considerable in flow of fresh water. Average total length is 110.13 mm and average weight, 11.17 g, the specimens are distributed so that the bigger ones are found in deeper waters. Length at the end of first year is about 100 mm, and at the end of second year, about 120-125 mm; two year old specimens !tre scarce and the bulk of commercial fishing is composed by fishes up to one year. Practically all individuals become ripe at the end of their first year and spawning lasts from december Lo february, sooner than in Atlantic and Baltic localities. The spawning temperature should be a most important factor in limiting the area of distribution of the species whose southern limit lies in northern Mediterranean. Stomach contents are composed chiefiy of copepoda. Stomach repletion is greater in march, when copepoda are most abundant. Fat deposition shows a maximum a month later. The mean number of ventral keeled scales is 32,19, and the mean number of vertebra is 47,83. These average characters corresponds to var. phalerica Risso, without implying that this variety has sound genetical basis[ES] La importancia que reviste la pesca del espadín en la región del Levante español es secundaria, por el hecho de estar limitada a pequeñas zonas, de las cuales la más importante es la que se extiende en los alrededores de la desembocadura del río Ebro y precisamente al ser ésta la zona en que actúan nuestras embarcaciones hizo que emprendiéramos su estudio. [...]Peer reviewe