Maurício de Castro Robert

Hábitos alimentares de tubarões-martelo jovens, Sphyrna zygaena (Carcharhiniformes: Sphyrnidae), no litoral sul do Brasil

Bornatowski, H., Costa, L., Robert, M.C. & Pina, J.V. Feeding habits of young smooth hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna zygaena (Carcharhiniformes: Sphyrnidae), in the Southern Coast of Brazil. Biota Neotrop. Jan/Apr 2007 vol. 7, no. 1 http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v7n1/pt/abstract?short-communication+bn00907012007 ISSN 1676-0603. The present study was conducted in two artisan fishing communities in the cities Guaratuba (Parana) and Itapoa (Santa Catarina), in the South Brazilian coast. Stomach contents of Sphyrna zygaena specimens were identified, showing three categories of food items. The most important feeding categories were teleosts (78.6%) and cephalopods (60.7%), represented by the sardine Harengula clupeola the squid Loligo sp., both considered the main food items of S. zygaena in the studied region.

Biologia de Paralonchurus brasiliensis (Steindachner) (Teleostei, Sciaenidae) no litoral sul do Estado do Paraná, Brasil

The populational structure, reproduction and feeding features of banded croaker in southern coast of Parana State are presented. Samplings were performed through bottom trawl from March 1999 to January 2000 at depths 10 and 15 m. Paralonchurus brasiliensis is more abundant during spring, when the youngest individuals, smaller than 93 mm, are recruited. The relation weight/length for grouped sexes is TW(g) = 2.74E -6 TL(mm) 3.22 (n = 659; R 2 = 0.99). Gonadal maturation is recorded since the length class 130-165 mm and the average length of the first maturation (grouped sexes) is estimated in 175 mm. Sand worms (Polychaeta) are the feeding item more usual for the all size classes and seasons, followed by crustacean and fishes. Species reproductive period extends from autumn (start maturation) to summer (end the spawning). After spring, youngs probably leave the area 10 m of depth. The prohibition of the shrimp bottom trawl in this depth during the spring and the summer must be efficient to reduce P. brasiliensis by-catch, today composed by recruits or spawning proximity individuals.

Nota complementar sobre os hábitos de Gerres melanopterus (Teleostei, Gerreidae) na Baía de Guaratuba, Paraná, Brasil (25º52'S, 48º39'W)

A survey performed in the Guaratuba Bay supports the hypothesis that the G. melanopterus individuals migrate to reproduce at the sea during summer. In autumn and winter, the adults return to the Bay, a pattern not yet described in the literature for this species. G. melanopterus explores the most internal areas of the Bay when the continental influence is lower. Differences in feeding habits were registered between individuals occupying the investigated area and those from a nearby mangrove previously studied.

Occurrence of the narrowmouth catshark Schroederichthys bivius (Chondrichthyes: Scyliorhinidae) in southern Brazil

The Scyliorhinidae is a large family of sharks distributed in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans (Compagno et al., 2005). Four species of catsharks of the genus Schroederichthys are endemic to South America: Schroederichthys tenuis Springer, 1966 (northern Brazil to Suriname); S. chilensis Guichenot, 1848 (southern Chile to Peru); S. saurisqualus Soto, 2001 (southern Brazil); and S. bivius Muller & Henle, 1838 (central Chile to southern Brazil). One species is endemic to Central America, S. maculatus Springer, 1966 (Honduras and Nicaragua) (Springer, 1966, 1979; Soto, 2001; Gomes et al., 2006). The narrowmouth catshark Schroederichthys bivius (Data Deficient—IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) (Chiaramonte, 2005) is oviparous ( 80 cm total length as adult), with a recorded distribution from Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, to the Beagle Channel and the south-east Pacific to north of Chile (Soto, 2001; Chiaramonte, 2005). This species inhabits the south-western Atlantic Ocean at depths from 14 to 350 m, and feeds on cephalopods, fish, benthic crustaceans and other invertebrates (Sanchez et al., 2009). This paper reports the first record of S. bivius from the coast of Parana State, southern Brazil, increasing its distribution along the Brazilian coast.