The maturity and feeding ecology in the reproduction period of the roughskin sculpin, trachidermus fasciatus in the Yellow River Delta, Bohai Sea, China

The maturity and feeding ecology of roughskin sculpin Trachidermus fasciatus were studied in the Yellow River Delta, Bohai Sea, China. Two times of investigations were conducted in March when this species spawning. Sex was identified and body length, body weight, gonad weight and food organism weight were measured. The gonad somatic index and digestive tracts fullness index were calculated. Moreover, the degree of digestive tracts fullness was identified. The differences of these factors in sex and sampling time were compared, and the maturity and feeding ecology in the reproduction period were presumed. This is the first time to study T. fasciatus in the Yellow River Delta, and is useful to protect this species in this area.