On Ova-diameter Study in the Horse Mackerel, Megalaspis Cordyla (linnaeus, 1758) along the South-west Coast of India

Horse mackerel, Megalaspis cordyla (Linnaeus, 1758) is a migratory pelagic species, found in abundance along the south west coast of India. Monthly distribution of maturity stages showed that the spawning season ofM. cordyla starts from May-August to January with peak spawning during May to October. Total 300 ovaries were studied using the ova diameter measurements for a period of one year. In present study, the ova-diameter ranged between 0.2 to 0.82 mm. with the largest ova recorded during May - October and the smallest during December. The peak spawning season was recorded during April - October forM. cordyla. The observations corresponded to the ovarian development in this fish.