MORPHOMETRIC AND BIOLOGICAL DATA ON ANCISTROCHEIRUS-LESUEURII (ORBIGNY, 1842) FROM THE MIDDLE-EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA

The occurrence of adult specimens of Ancistrocheirus lesueurii in the Ionian Sea and the first finding through bottom trawling in the Medite rranean is reported in this paper. Ten females were collected in June 1995 during an experimental survey and in July of the same year from c ommercial fishing. The specimens were caught during daylight hours at depths between 500 and 580 m. Their size ranged from 175 to 250 mm DML . Morphometric indexes were recorded: FLI was beteween 83.3 and 93 whi le FWI ranged from 76.4 to 92. Nine individuals had ripe ovaries with exclusively vitellogenic eggs. The largest egg size was 2.6 x 1.91 mm in diameter. Potential fecundity was estimated as 22,205 +/- 12,532 eg gs.