Reproductive Cycle of the Edible Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in the Coastal Region El Jadida-Safi (Atlantic Ocean, Morocco)

 Reproductive Cycle of the Edible Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816) (Echinodermata: Echinoidea) in the Coastal Region El Jadida-Safi (Atlantic Ocean, Morocco)

The Sea urchins populations of P. lividus had an annual reproductive cycle that was synchronous across sites and between males and females. The histology of the gonads revealed six different stages: Recovering, Growing, Premature, Mature, Partly spawned and Spent. Maturation occurred between March and late April while spawning period occurred in May and early August with little difference between sites. The Gonad indices showed a peak from late winter to early spring. A perfect correlation observed between the gonad index and the histological results suggests that the gonad index decreases when the individual is spawning. Nevertheless, the GI seems to be influenced by abiotic factors particularly sea water temperature in the first station (Sidi Bouzid) and the food richness of the environment in the second station (Ain Darak).