Christian Capapé

New data on the reproductive biology of the thorny stingray,Dasyatis centroura (pisces: Dasyatidae) from off the Tunisian coasts

SynopsisAspects of the reproductive biology are described for the thorny stingray,Dasyatis centroura, caught off the coasts of Tunis, mainly from the Gulfs of Gabes and Tunis. Sexual maturity in males occurs at a disk width (DW) of 800 mm. Female maturation occurs between 660 mm and 1000mm DW All males and females having a DW greater than 800 and 1000mm, respectively, were adults. Females are larger than males, with adult specimens having an average DW of 1040mm in males and 1345mm in females. Gestation lasts for a minimum of about 4 months. The number of reproductive cycles per year is unknown. Vitellogenesis is completed at the end of the gestation. Parturition and ovulation occur in June. Fecundity ranges from 2 to 6 individuals per litter.

Reproductive biology of the smoothback angel shark, Squatina oculata (Elasmobranchii: Squatinidae), from the coast of Senegal (eastern tropical Atlantic)

Two species of genus Squatina were recorded off the coast of Senegal and Squatina oculata is the most commonly caught in the area. Adult males and females studied were over 820 and 890 mm total length (TL) respectively, with the largest male and the largest female recorded being 1450 mm and 1570 mm and weighed 37 kg and 39 kg respectively. The females were significantly heavier than the males. Size at birth was between 226 and 266 mm and weight at birth between 129 and 159 g. Weight of ripe oocytes ranged from 87·65 to 117·60 g (mean SD 101·73±&;8·65). Gestation lasts one year minimum. Squatina oculata is a lecithotrophic species. Counts of ripe oocytes, eggs, embryos and fully developed foetuses showed that ovarian fecundity is significantly higher than uterine fecundity. The former ranged from 8 to 20 (mean SD 12·04±5·80), the latter from 3 to 8 (mean SD 6·22±3·41). There is no relationship between size and the categories of fecundity. Adult males and females were more common than the other categories of specimens landed. Among adults, females were more numerous than males, mainly gravid specimens.

DISTRIBUTION AND REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF THE SPINNER SHARK, CARCHARHINUS BREVIPINNA (MÜLLER AND HENLE, 1841) (CHONDRICHTHYES: CARCHARHINIDAE)

The spinner shark, Carcharhinus brevipinna, is a Lessepsian immigrant formerly common in the Gulf of Gabes (southeastern Tunisia, central Mediterranean). It migrated northward into the Gulf of Tunis as a consequence of competition pressure from its sympatric species, the sandbar shark, C. plumbeus. Adult males and females reach over 1720 mm and 1960 mm total length (TL), respectively. The largest known male and female are 2630 mm and 2750 mm TL, respectively. There is no significant relationship of mass versus TL between males and females. C. brevipinna is a placental viviparous elasmobranch. Adult females have a single functional ovary and two functional uteri, in which encapsulated eggs and embryos are equally distributed. Mating occurs in spring or early summer; parturition, in August. Gestation lasts 13-14 months or longer, and there is a seasonal reproductive cycle. Vitellogenesis proceeds in parallel with gestation. Diameter of the largest yellow-yolked oocytes ranges from 31 to 36 mm (33.3 mm ± 1.4...

Feeding habits of the pelagic stingray Pteroplatytrygon violacea (Chondrichthyes: Dasyatidae) in the Adriatic Sea

The feeding habits of the pelagic stingray ( Pteroplatytrygon violacea ) were studied using 84 stomachs of specimens caught in the northern Adriatic Sea in the period from April 2004 to October 2005. Percentage of empty stomachs found was overall very low, being a bit bigger in smaller specimens. The diet consisted of two main taxonomic groups such as teleost fish and cephalopods, but few specimens of crustaceans were recorded as well. The main food item was represented by anchovy, while cuttlefish and red band fish represented the alternative preys. Prey size was positively correlated with the size of predator. The proportion of anchovies in the diet grew with size of predator, while the one for red band fish decreased. The stingray was confirmed to be a top predator of pelagic fish species, although the presence of benthic prey shows that it feeds also at the bottom.

First records of the Honeycomb Stingray, Himantura uarnak (Forskål, 1775), off the Syrian coast (eastern Mediterranean) (Chondrichthyes: Dasyatidae)

The Honeycomb Stingray, Himantura uarnak (Forskål, 1775) is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific, is common on the continental shelf of northern Australia, and is reported off south-eastern Africa (LAST & STEVENS 1994). It is also found in the Red Sea, from where it has recently expanded to the eastern Mediterranean (GOLANI et al. 2002). It has been reported from the Levantine Basin (BEN-TUVIA 1955, 1966, MOUNEIMNE 1977, EL SAYED 1994) and from off Turkey (BEN-TUVIA 1966, BASUTA et al. 1988). We can add here a record from Syrian waters, from where it was hitherto not known. Through surveys conducted off the Syrian coast from 2000 to date, 22 shark species and 17 batoid species were identified (SAAD et al. 2005). During these surveys we also recorded three Honeycomb Stingrays. Identification was made from MCEACHRAN & CAPAPÉ (1984), LAST & STEVENS (1994) and GOLANI et al. (2002). The first specimen was a female caught on 24 April 2008, by pelagic longline, on a sandy bottom at 5-10m depth, off southern Syria; the capture site (34°53’N, 35°53’E) was 25 km south-west of Tartous. The specimen had a disc width of 1486 mm and a weight of 150 kg. The second specimen was a male caught on 19 May 2008 by bait hook, on a sandy bottom at

Occurrence of great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Elasmobranchii: Lamniformes: Lamnidae), off Corsica (northern Mediterranean): historical and contemporary records

The capture of a juvenile, male, great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758), off the Corsican coast (Mediterranean Sea) in 2012 is reported in this note along with two other new records (1976 and 2011). Additionally, 8 other historical and more recent records from the same area are presented and commented. These records are compared with those reported from more distant areas. Conclusions drawn based on the presently analysed material indicate that a sustainable and isolated C. carcharias population has probably established in the Mediterranean Sea, although more new records are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

First Mediterranean records of spinetail devil ray, Mobula japanica (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes: Mobulidae)

Captures of 11 spinetail devil rays, Mobula japanica (Muller et Henle, 1841), from the northern coast of Tunisian (central Mediterranean) are reported in the present paper. Of these 11 specimens, fi ve specimens were described. These captures constitute the fi rst records of the species in the Tunisian waters, but also in the Mediterranean Sea, extending its distribution. This unusual occurrence of M. japanica is probably due to a migration from the eastern tropical Atlantic into the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Maturity, reproductive cycle, and fecundity of spiny butterfly ray, Gymnura altavela (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes: Gymnuridae), from the coast of Syria (eastern Mediterranean)

* Correspondence: Dr Christian Capape. Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, case 104, Universite Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095 Montpellier cedex 5, France, phone +33467544162, e-mail (CC) capape@univ-montp2.fr, (HA) alkusairyhasan@gmail.com, (MA) malekali@scs-net.org (AS) adibsaad52@gmail.com, (CR) reynaud@univ-montp2.fr. MATURITY, REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE, AND FECUNDITY OF SPINY BUTTERFLY RAY, GYMNURA ALTAVELA (ELASMOBRANCHII: RAJIFORMES: GYMNURIDAE), FROM THE COAST OF SYRIA (EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN)

Diet of mediterranean moray, Muraena helena (Actinopterygii: Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), from the north-eastern Tunisian coast (Central Mediterranean)

1 Laboratoire de recherche de Biodiversite, Biotechnologies et changement climatiques. Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia 2 Laboratoire interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur la Didactique, l’Education et la Formation, Faculte d’Education, Universite Montpellier, Montpellier, France 3 Laboratoire d’Ichtyologie, Universite Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier, France

Occurrence of basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus (Elasmobranchii: Lamniformes: Cetorhinidae), off the Syrian coast (eastern Mediterranean) with first description of egg case

The authors report in this paper the first record of basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765), off the coast of Syria (eastern Mediterranean). The specimen was an adult female, 690 cm total length and weighing approximately 2.5 t. It was a pregnant female at the beginning of gestation and contained 34 egg cases. The first description of C. maximus egg case is provided with short comments on the reproductive biology of the species.