J. Matías Braccini

Determining reproductive parameters for population assessments of chondrichthyan species with asynchronous ovulation and parturition: piked spurdog (Squalus megalops) as a case study

Population assessments of chondrichthyan species require several key parameters of their reproductive biology, which were estimated for Squalus megalops (Macleay, 1881). Length-at-maturity differed depending on the criterion adopted for defining maturity. In the case of males, length-at-maturity was smallest when condition of seminal vesicles was adopted as a maturity criterion. For females, length-at-maturity was smallest when the largest follicle diameter >3 mm was adopted as the criterion for maturity; this was appropriate only as an indicator of the onset of maturity. Mature males are capable of mating throughout the year. Females have a continuous asynchronous reproductive cycle. The sex ratio of embryos is 1 : 1 and litter size and near-term embryo length increase with maternal length. Females have an ovarian cycle and gestation period of two years. This was reflected in the differences found between the maturity and maternity ogives. Although all females are mature at 600 mm, only 50% of them contribute to annual recruitment each year. Hence, for chondrichthyan species with reproductive cycles of two, three or more years, if maturity ogives are used in population assessments instead of maternity ogives, the models will overestimate recruitment rates.

Feeding habits of the sandskate Psammobatis extenta (Garman, 1913) : sources of variation in dietary composition

Understanding the variation in the diet of skates is crucial for determining their roles in marine ecosystems. The diet of 458 sandskates, Psammobatis extenta, from Puerto Quequen, Argentina was quantified to determine whether there was geographical, sexual, ontogenetic, and/or seasonal variation in dietary composition. Cumulative prey-diversity curves reached a stable level at ~30 stomachs and thus the sample size was large enough to describe the overall diet of the sandskate. The diet comprised a variety of small invertebrates, suggesting that the sandskate is a secondary consumer (trophic level of 3.5). The most important prey items were gammarids, shrimps and, to a lesser extent, polychaete worms. A significant correlation was found between the diets of sandskates from south-eastern Brazil and Puerto Quequen, suggesting that in both locations they used similar resources and would have similar ecological roles. No difference was found between the diets of males and females, but ontogenetic and seasonal patterns were detected. Small sandskates preyed largely on gammarids and shrimps but consumed fewer polychaetes and brachyurans than larger individuals. In summer and winter, the most important prey item by number was gammarids, whereas the consumption of shrimps peaked in autumn. This ontogenetic and seasonal pattern indicates that large and small sandskates are versatile predators that can shift their diets in response to prey abundance.

Comparison of deterministic growth models fitted to length-at-age data of the piked spurdog (Squalus megalops) in south-eastern Australia

Age and growth estimates of Squalus megalops were derived from the first dorsal fin spine of 452 sharks, ranging from 274 to 622 mm total length. Age bias plots and indices of precision indicated that the ageing method was precise and unbiased. Edge analysis of the enameled surface of whole spines and similarities in the banding pattern deposited in the enameled surface of spines and in spine sections supported the hypothesis of annual band formation. Multiple versions of two growth models were fitted to length-at-age data, from which a two-phase von Bertalanffy model produced the best fit. For males, the change in growth rate corresponded with size-at-maturity, whereas for females, the change was slightly before size-at-maturity. Regardless of the growth model used, growth rate of females (0.034 to 0.098 years −1 ) was very low, making S. megalops highly susceptible to overexploitation by fisheries.

Assessing growth band counts from vertebrae and dorsal-fin spines for ageing sharks: comparison of four methods applied to Heterodontus portusjacksoni

Four methods for counting growth bands using vertebrae and dorsal-fin spines of the Port Jackson shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni, are compared. Both calcified structures presented observable growth bands, allowing cross comparison among structures for the first time in a shark species. Whole and sectioned vertebrae and dorsal fin-spines possess highly visible growth bands and intra-reader band counts resulted in similar precision indices with little systematic bias. However, inter-reader growth band count plots showed possible biases in counts from sectioned vertebrae and sectioned dorsal-fin spines. Sectioned vertebrae and whole and sectioned dorsal-fin spines produced similar growth band counts, whereas whole vertebrae produced significantly lower counts. The similar readability, precision indices, growth band counts and apparent absence of biases between counts for a single reader would indicate that sectioned vertebrae and whole and sectioned dorsal-fin spines are both potentially useful and acceptable methods for band counting. However, inter-reader comparisons are necessary to avoid acceptance of biased estimations, resulting in over- or under-estimations of age. Validation for all age classes is essential to determining accurate age estimations for this and other species.