526 
Fishery Bulletin 115(4) 
Table 5 
Mean and standard deviation values of the major axis (mm), minor axis (mm), and volume (mm * * 3 ) of eggs of Argentine an- 
choita (Engraulis anchoita) obtained in the southeastern Brazilian Bight in December 1975, January 1988, December 1990, 
December 1991 and January 1993 and results from analysis of variance (AMOVA) and a posteriori paired Tukey’s honestly 
significant difference (HSD) test that compared data from the 3 areas sampled (areas 1, 2, and 3) during the 5 years studied. 
The 3 areas were from Cape Frio to Sao Sebastiao Island (area 1), from Sao Sebastiao Island to Paranagua Bay (area 2), 
and from Paranagua Bay to Cape Santa Marta Grande (area 3). N is the number of eggs measured. 
Area 
ANOVA 
Tukey’s HSD 
1 
2 
3 
F 
P 
2 vs. 1 
3 vs. 1 
3 vs. 2 
Dec 75 
N 
437 
139 
322 
Major axis 
1.022 (0.06) 
1.021 (0.06 
1.037 (0.05) 
7.58 
<0.01 
0.99 
0 
0.01 
Minor axis 
0.523 (0.03) 
0.515 (0.02) 
0.533 (0.03) 
26.36 
<0.01 
0.01 
0 
0 
Volume 
0.147 (0.02) 
0.142 (0.02) 
0.155 (0.02) 
22.62 
<0.01 
0.06 
0 
0 
Jan 88 
N 
532 
1123 
398 
Major axis 
1.111 (0.06) 
1.066 (0.05) 
1.077 (0.05) 
124.1 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0 
Minor axis 
0.548 (0.03) 
0.551 (0.03) 
0.536 (0.03) 
32.57 
<0.01 
0.19 
0 
0 
Volume 
0.176 (0.02) 
0.171 (0.03) 
0.163 (0.03) 
33.41 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0 
Dec 90 
N 
249 
400 
651 
Major axis 
1.096 (0.06) 
1.114 (0.05) 
1.121 (0.05) 
18.33 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0.09 
Minor axis 
0.553 (0.03) 
0.560 (0.03) 
0.566 (0.03) 
19.13 
<0.01 
0.01 
0 
0 
Volume 
0.177 (0.03) 
0.184 (0.03) 
0.189 (0.02) 
22.97 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0 
Dec 91 
N 
132 
544 
557 
Major axis 
1.052 (0.05) 
1.044 (0.06) 
1.043 (0.06) 
1.33 
0,26 
Minor axis 
0.511 (0.03) 
0.534 (0.03) 
0.526 (0.03) 
30.68 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0 
Volume 
0.145 (0.02) 
0.157 (0.03) 
0.152 (0.02) 
16.77 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0 
Jan 93 
N 
391 
1583 
1351 
Major axis 
1.066 (0.06) 
1.077 (0.05) 
1.053 (0.05) 
74.40 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0 
Minor axis 
0.533 (0.03) 
0.564 (0.04) 
0.545 (0.03) 
223.30 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0 
Volume 
0.160 (0.02) 
0.184 (0.02) 
0.164 (0.02) 
219.30 
<0.01 
0 
0 
0 
those from southern Brazil (30-35°3) (Carvalho and 
Gastello, 2013). The southern region also exhibited a 
more diverse age composition, with older individuals 
ranging up to age 4, whereas the southeastern region 
had a predominance of 1-year-old anchovies (Carval¬ 
ho and Gastello, 2013). In relating sizes of females to 
eggs, 2 possibilities can occur: 1) larger females pro¬ 
duce larger eggs (e.g., Ciechomski, 1966) or, 2) relative 
fecundity is higher in larger females (e.g., Pajaro et ah, 
1997). Knowing that the individuals from the bonae- 
rense stock are larger than those making up the south¬ 
eastern stock, it is possible to infer that eggs from area 
3 would be larger than those from area 1 as a result 
of the differences in the composition of the respective 
maternal stocks. 
In the SBB, the Argentine anchoita spawns year- 
round and peak spawning occurs during late spring 
and early summer (Matsuura et ah, 1992). The Argen¬ 
tine anchoita is a semimigratory species that carries 
out trophic and reproductive migrations (Ciechomski, 
1973) and no physical barriers exist that would pre¬ 
vent individual fish from moving between areas. Dur¬ 
ing the austral winter, adults of Argentine anchoita mi¬ 
grate from Uruguayan and Argentinean waters off the 
Plata River (35-34°S) to Brazilian waters (34-29°S) 
where favorable spawning and feeding conditions pre¬ 
vail. They return southward in late spring (Lima and 
Gastello, 1995). Even though our study area was north 
of the one described by Lima and Gastello (1995), there 
is an equatorward flow of the colder and fresher Plata 
plume water in the inner shelf (Piola et ah, 2008a; 
Piola et ah, 2008b). This flow can transport biota of 
benthic and planktonic origin, such as species of Fora- 
minifera, ostracods, and microbivalves, from cold and 
temperate waters to a tropical bay located at around 
23°3 (Stevenson et ah, 1998). In addition, the Plata 
River estuarine front is well documented as an impor¬ 
tant area for feeding for Argentine anchoita because 
