Trophic ecology of young‐of‐the‐year elasmobranchs in a critical habitat within the Río de la Plata outer estuarine waters

Knowledge on the trophic ecology of elasmobranch species in all their size classes is important to determine complex trophic roles and relationships between members of the community, which ultimately promotes the development of more effective conservation measures. This study investigates the diet of young‐of‐the‐year from two shark and one skate species that are common within the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. Identification and analysis of stomach contents indicated that the broadnose sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus fed mostly on fishes (96.08%I_RI), whereas the angular angel shark Squatina guggenheim, and the smallnose fanskate Sympterygia bonapartii preyed mainly on crustaceans (68.73–99.96%I_RI). In particular, Artemesia longinaris, a widely distributed small shrimp, was an important prey item for the two crustacean feeders. The high proportion of stomachs with food and the trophic levels suggest that the three species are active predators at a very young age. A high frequency of neonates was also observed for all species, suggesting that parturition events are probably occurring nearby. Overall, this study suggest that the nearshore waters of northern Argentina are functioning as an important feeding ground for co‐occurring elasmobranch species within an important estuarine habitat.     

Length–weight relationships of six elasmobranch species captured at the artisanal fishery of Margarita Island,Venezuela

This study reports the length – weight relationship (LWR) for five batoid and one shark species, all frequently captured by the artisanal commercial fishery on Margarita Island (10º44’ – 11º10’N and 63º46’ – 64º13’W), Venezuela. In 2013, elasmobranchs captured by the artisanal fleet (using bottom gillnets 200–400 m in length with 5–8 inch mesh size) were identified, sized, weighed and sexed. The value of a ranged from 0.0006 to 0.0351, meanwhile the b value ranged from 2.84 (for pooled Myliobatis freminvillei) to 3.39 (male Mustelus higmani), with r² ranging from 0.920 to 0.991. Differences in LWR due to sex were observed for three elasmobranch species. This study offers LWRs separate for males and females, also for species for which LWRs already exist and thus new knowledge is gained through the estimate presented here.     

Length–weight relationship of Rhinobatos horkelii Müller & Henle, 1841 and Zapteryx brevirostris (Müller & Henle, 1841) off Brazil,southwestern Atlantic Ocean

This study reports the length–weight relationships (LWRs) for two elasmobranch species, Rhinobatos horkelii Müller & Henle, 1841 and Zapteryx brevirostris (Müller & Henle, 1841) collected from the southwestern Atlantic, off Brazil. Both are considered endangered species. The LWR data can be taken into consideration for further management and conservation plans.     

Virtual reconstruction of the skeletal labyrinth of two lamnid sharks (Elasmobranchii,Lamniformes)

The first virtual reconstruction of the skeletal labyrinth of the porbeagle shark Lamna nasus and the shortfin mako shark Isurus oxyrinchus is presented here using high‐resolution micro‐computed tomography. The results, in comparison with previously published information, suggest relationships between skeletal labyrinth morphology and locomotion mode in chondrichthyans, but also show that further studies are required to establish such connections. Nevertheless, this study adds to the knowledge of the skeletal labyrinth morphology in two apex elasmobranch species.     

Preliminary data on elasmobranch gillnet fishery in the Gulf of Gabès,Tunisia

Elasmobranchs are an important catch component in Tunisian artisanal fisheries. Generally, species‐specific information is largely unavailable for artisanal fisheries; an increase in knowledge thereof is essential to ensure proper management of these species. The study analyzed the gillnet fishery elasmobranch catches in the Gulf of Gabès, whereby 45 fishing trips were conducted from April to June 2007 and 2008 for the capture of a total of six species: three Rajiformes and three Carchariniformes. Rhinobatos cemiculus was the most important species (52%; 4.588 ind km^?2 net per day). Among shark species, Mustelus mustelus was the most important (66.8%; 2.21 ind km^?2 net per day). Discards represented 6.87% of total catch in weight and 14.28% in number of specimens caught. Size composition of captures varied by species, but usually mature, mainly gravid females were abundant. Further investigations are needed to obtain more information on such fragile species for the development of protective measures.     

ON THE COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE OF INDIVIDUAL GANGLIOSIDES FROM THE BRAIN OF ELASMOBRANCHES

Gangliosides with a short carbohydrate chain: II³(NeuAc)₂-LacCer, II³(NeuAc)₂-GgOse₃Cer, II₃(NeuAc)₃-LacCer, II³NeuAc-LacCer, and II³NeuAC-GgOse₃ Cer, were found to be predominant in the brain of 8 species of cartilaginous fish, elasmobranches. N-acetylneuraminic acid was the only sialic acid found in these gangliosides, the N-glycolyl derivative being practically absent. 4-Sphingenine was shown to be the predominant sphingoid in elasmobranch brain gangliosides. The sequential enzymatic hydrolysis of II³(NeuAc)₂ -LacCer from shark and ray brain by acylneur-aminyl hydrolase (EC 3.2.1.18) and β-D-galactoside-galactohydrolase (EC 3.2.1.23), as well as permethylation studies, provide further evidence for the following structure of this major elasmobranch brain ganglioside:     

Length–weight relationships for six fish species from the middle of the Yalu Tsangpo River,China

This paper reports the length–weight relationships for six fish species belonging to the Cyprinidae from the middle of the Yalu Tsangpo River in China. Samples were obtained by electroshock and drift net fishing techniques (mesh size 2 cm × 3 cm; 200 m net length) in April and September to October 2014. Length–weight relationships estimates for these species were not available in FishBase. A total of 737 specimens were used to estimate the a and b parameters. New maximum total lengths are also reported for six species. The r² values range from 0.98 to 0.99. Values of b vary from 2.88 to 3.19.     

Length–weight relationships of three fish species from Kerala waters,south‐west coast of India

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) of three fish species: Scomberomorus commerson, Alepes vari, and A. kleinii were estimated from Kerala waters, south‐west coast of India. Fish were captured between June 2016 and June 2017 by various gears such as ring seine (8–26 mm mesh size), trawl (30–40 mm cod end mesh size), hook and line (hook number VI–XII), smaller mesh sized drift gill net (26–90 mm) and larger one (120–170 mm) for bigger size fishes. Fish were collected on weekly basis from Cochin Fisheries Harbour (Lat. 09°56′327″N, Long. 76°15′764″E), Munambam Fisheries Harbour (Lat. 10°10′965″N, Long. 76°10′258″E), Kalamukku (Lat. 09°59′924″N, Long. 76°14′564″E) and Chellanam (Lat. 09°47′950″N, Long. 76°16′551″E). All LWRs were significant with r² values ranged from 0.944 to 0.996 and b values ranged from 2.722 to 3.021 (p < .001). In addition, this study provides the information on LWRs and new maximum size for Alepes vari and A. kleinii.     

Determining the appropriate pretreatment procedures and the utility of liver tissue for bulk stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) studies in sharks

Stable-isotope analysis (SIA) provides a valuable tool to address complex questions pertaining to elasmobranch ecology. Liver, a metabolically active, high turnover tissue (~166 days for 95% turnover), has the potential to reveal novel insights into recent feeding/movement behaviours of this diverse group. To date, limited work has used this tissue, but ecological application of SIA in liver requires consideration of tissue preparation techniques given the potential for high concentrations of urea and lipid that could bias δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values (i.e., result in artificially lower δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values). Here we investigated the effectiveness of (a) deionized water washing (WW) for urea removal from liver tissue and (b) chloroform-methanol for extraction of lipids from this lipid rich tissue. We then (a) established C:N thresholds for deriving ecologically relevant liver isotopic values given complications of removing all lipid and (b) undertook a preliminary comparison of δ¹³C values between tissue pairs (muscle and liver) to test if observed isotopic differences correlated with known movement behaviour. Tests were conducted on four large shark species: the dusky (DUS, Carcharhinus obscurus), sand tiger (RAG, Carcharias taurus), scalloped hammerhead (SCA, Sphyrna lewini) and white shark (GRE, Carcharodon carcharias). There was no significant difference in δ¹⁵N values between lipid-extracted (LE) liver and lipid-extracted/water washed (WW) treatments, however, WW resulted in significant increases in %N, δ¹³C and %C. Following lipid extraction (repeated three times), some samples were still biased by lipids. Our species-specific “C:N thresholds” provide a method to derive ecologically viable isotope data given the complexities of this lipid rich tissue (C:N thresholds of 4.0, 3.6, 4.7 and 3.9 for DUS, RAG, SCA and GRE liver_LEWW tissue, respectively). The preliminary comparison of C:N threshold corrected liver and muscle δ¹³C values corresponded with movement/habitat behaviours for each shark; minor differences in δ¹³C values were observed for known regional movements of DUS and RAG (δ¹³C_Diffs = 0.24 ± 0.99‰ and 0.57 ± 0.38‰, respectively), while SCA and GRE showed greater differences (1.24 ± 0.63‰ and 1.08 ± 0.71‰, respectively) correlated to large-scale movements between temperate/tropical and pelagic/coastal environments. These data provide an approach for the successful application of liver δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values to examine elasmobranch ecology.     

Length–weight relationship of 62 fish species from the Central Aegean Sea,Turkey

Length–weight relationships were estimated for 11 elasmobranch and 51 teleost fish species caught in Izmir Bay, Turkey. Sampling was carried out from June 2005 to May 2006 at monthly intervals using a bottom trawl net. The mean b‐value was calculated as 3.10 (SE = ±0.03) and only three species were out of range between 2.5 and 3.5.     

Length-weight relationships of six tropical estuarine fish species from Pulicat lagoon,India

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) of six finfish species under two families of the order Perciformes collected from Pulicat lagoon (India) are presented in this study. The fish specimens were collected weekly from the catches of shore seine net (with a mesh size of 50mm at the main webbing and 10 mm at the cod end) operated in the lagoon at an average depth of 2.5 m by the local fishermen during the period from July 2018 to April 2019. This study reports the LWRs for five gobiid and one siganid fish species which have no earlier reports on LWRs. The calculated ‘b’ value ranged from 3.538 (Favonigobius reichei) to 2.677 (Oxyurichthys microlepis) and ‘a’ value varied from 0.0041 (Favonigobius reichei) to 0.0199 (Acentrogobius cyanomos). This study also reports the new maximum total length (TL_max) for the gobiid fish species Oxyurichthys microlepis.     

Length‐weight relationships of 10 fish species found off Antalya Bay,eastern Mediterranean

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) are presented for eight teleost and two elasmobranch fish species representing ten families that were captured in deep water (from 400 to 1000 m, except for the stingray Dipturus centrura) in Antalya Bay. This study represents the first LWR references for eight of these species.     

The Hearing Sensitivity of the Little Skate, Raja erinacea: A Comparison of Two Methods

We determined the hearing sensitivity of the little skate, Raja erinacea using two methods: Behavioral conditioning and the auditory brainstem response (ABR). This marks the first time that the hearing in any member of the Rajiformes has been examined and the first time that the ABR method has been used with an elasmobranch. We obtained audiograms of R. erinacea using each method and were found to be statistically similar. The best hearing sensitivity for R. erinacea was between 100 and 300Hz. We compared the audiograms to audiograms obtained from other species of elasmobranchs. This analysis showed that R. erinacea, a bottom-dwelling elasmobranch, has less sensitive hearing than the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, and the bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, a free-swimming, raptorial elasmobranch. However, R. erinacea showed sensitivity comparable to that of the horn shark, Heterodontus francisi, another bottom-dwelling elasmobranch; both species feed primarily on benthic prey. These findings are in agreement with Corwin's hypothesis (1978) that hearing sensitivity is correlated with feeding behavior. An examination of the macula neglecta of R. erinacea found a total count of 10000 hair cells, which is within the range of other bottom-dwelling elasmobranchs.     

Standardized diet compositions and trophic levels of skates (Chondrichthyes: Rajiformes: Rajoidei)

Skates by virtue of their abundance and widespread occurrence appear to play an influential role in the food webs of demersal marine communities. However, few quantitative dietary studies have been conducted on this elasmobranch group. Therefore, to better understand the ecological role of skates, standardized diet compositions and trophic level (TL) values were calculated from quantitative studies, and compared within and among skate and shark taxa. Prey items were grouped into 11 general categories to facilitate standardized diet composition and TL calculations. Trophic level values were calculated for 60 skate species with TL estimates ranging from 3.48 to 4.22 (mean TL = 3.80 ± 0.02 SE). Standardized diet composition results revealed that decapods and fishes were the main prey taxa of most skate species followed by amphipods and polychaetes. Correspondingly, cluster analysis of diet composition data revealed four major trophic guilds, each dominated by one of these prey groups. Fish and decapod guilds were dominant comprising 39 of 48 species analyzed. Analysis of skate families revealed that the Arhynchobatidae and Rajidae had similar TL values of 3.86 and 3.79 (t-test, P = 0.27), respectively. The Anacanthobatidae were represented by a single species, Cruriraja parcomaculata, with a TL of 3.53. Statistical comparison of TL values calculated for five genera (Bathyraja, Leucoraja, Raja, Rajella, Rhinoraja) revealed a significant difference between Bathyraja and Rajella (t-test, P = 0.03). A positive correlation was observed between TL and total length (L _T) with larger skates (e.g. >100 cm L _T) tending to have a higher calculated TL value (>3.9). Skates were found to occupy TLs similar to those of several co-occurring demersal shark families including the Scyliorhinidae, Squatinidae, and Triakidae. Results from this study support recent assertions that skates utilize similar resources to those of other upper trophic-level marine predators, e.g. seabirds, marine mammals, and sharks. These preliminary findings will hopefully encourage future research into the trophic relationships and ecological impact of these interesting and important demersal predators.     

Length–weight relationships of nine freshwater fishes from six rivers of the Western Ghats of India

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) were estimated for nine freshwater fish species collected three times using a scoop net (mesh size 0.3–0.5 cm), cast net (mesh size 1–1.5 cm) and gillnet (mesh size 2.5–4.5 cm) from six rivers of the Western Ghats of India during August 2017–October 2018. The b values for LWRs varied from 2.862 to 3.656 (R² > 0.916 and p < 0.0001 for all species).     

Diet,trophic interactions and possible ecological role of commercial sharks and batoids in northern Peruvian waters

The Peruvian sea represents one of the most productive ocean ecosystems and possesses one of the largest elasmobranch fisheries in the Pacific Ocean. Ecosystem-based management of these fisheries will require information on the trophic ecology of elasmobranchs. This study aimed to understand the diet, trophic interactions and the role of nine commercial elasmobranch species in northern Peru through the analysis of stomach contents. A total of 865 non-empty stomachs were analysed. Off northern Peru, elasmobranchs function as upper-trophic-level species consuming 78 prey items, predominantly teleosts and cephalopods. Two distinctive trophic assemblages were identified: (a) sharks (smooth hammerhead shark Sphyrna zygaena, thresher shark Alopias spp. and blue shark Prionace glauca) that feed mainly on cephalopods in the pelagic ecosystem; and (b) sharks and batoids (Chilean eagle ray Myliobatis chilensis, humpback smooth-hound Mustelus whitneyi, spotted houndshark Triakis maculata, Pacific guitarfish Pseudobatos planiceps, copper shark Carcharhinus brachyurus and school shark Galeorhinus galeus) that feed mainly on teleosts and invertebrates in the benthonic and pelagic coastal ecosystem. This study reveals for the first time the diet of T. maculata and the importance of elasmobranchs as predators of abundant and commercial species (i.e., jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas and Peruvian anchovy Engraulis ringens). The results of this study can assist in the design of an ecosystem-based management for the northern Peruvian sea and the conservation of these highly exploited, threatened or poorly understood group of predators in one of the most productive marine ecosystems.     

Length‐weight relationships of Acanthopagrus longispinnis (Valenciennes, 1830), Raconda russeliana (Gray, 1831) and Coilia neglecta (Whitehead, 1967) from the Bay of Bengal coast,Bangladesh

Current study reports the length‐weight relationships (LWRs) of three marine fish species collected from the fishermen catches covering three seasons i.e., rainy, autumn and winter between June, 2016 and February, 2017. Fishermen caught the species using beach seine net (3.5 cm mesh size) and set bag net (0.5 cm mesh size) up to 200 m far away from the shoreline. The LWRs for fish species were W = 0.0180TL^3.192 for A. longispinnis, W = 0.0109TL^2.971 for R. russeliana and W = 0.0098TL^2.942 for C. neglecta with their r² values of 0.971, 0.962 and 0.997, respectively.     

Elasmobranch captures in shrimps trammel net fishery off the Gulf of Gabès (Southern Tunisia,Mediterranean Sea)

Small‐scale fisheries are generally promoted as a sustainable alternative to large‐scale industrial fisheries. However, there is recent growing evidence that small‐scale fisheries may be the largest threat to marine species of conservation concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of the trammel net fishery on elasmobranchs in the Gulf of Gabès, Southern Tunisia. Data are based on 191 shrimp trammel net set (40 mm stretched mesh size) surveys conducted aboard commercial fishing vessels from May to July 2009. Five species of the small coastal elasmobranchs (Mustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758), Mustelus punctulatus Risso 1827, Dasyatis pastinaca (Linnaeus, 1758), Dasyatis marmorata (Steindachner, 1892) and Torpedo torpedo (Linnaeus, 1758)) and two species from the large coastal shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827) and Carcharhinus brevipinna (Müller & Henle, 1839)) were recognized as by‐catch in this fishery. Elasmobranch by‐catch was dominated by sharks (90.3%), smoothhound sharks Mustelus sp. being by far the most important (88.9%) and reflecting their abundance in the area; 58% of the sets caught at least one specimen, with 4.8 ± 1.3 caught per set. Captures were composed essentially of neonate and juvenile sharks, while the batoids were dominated by mature individuals. This study shows that shrimp trammel nets represent a considerable source of mortality for early life stages of elasmobranch species in the Gulf of Gabès. Additionally, there was a high density of neonates and small juvenile M. mustelus in the Sfax zone, suggesting that these nearshore waters are a nursery grounds for smoothhound sharks. Further research should focus on the incidents of by‐catch and evaluate the potential solutions to allow trammel net fisheries to coexist alongside the elasmobranch species.     

Population structure,spatial distribution and life‐history traits of blacktip reef sharks Carcharhinus melanopterus

During a survey of the population of blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus in Moorea (French Polynesia) between 2007 and 2011, population structural characteristics were estimated from 268 individuals. Total length (L_T) ranged from 48 to 139 cm and 48 to 157 cm for males and females, respectively, demonstrating that the average L_T of females was larger than that of males. The C. melanopterus population at Moorea showed an apparent spatial sexual segregation with females preferentially frequenting lagoons and males the fore‐reefs. Mean growth rate was c. 6 cm year^?1. Males reached sexual maturity at 111 cm L_T. This study reports on the population characteristics of this widespread carcharhinid shark species and makes comparisons with other locations, confirming high geographic variability in the population structure of the species.     

Using genetic inference to re‐evaluate the minimum longevity of the lemon shark Negaprion brevirostris

A combination of mark–recapture and genetic sampling was used to extend the minimum longevity of an elasmobranch species and the life span estimate of the lemon shark Negaprion brevirostris was increased conservatively from 20·2 to 37 years. This increase in longevity means higher vulnerability and a longer recovery time from exploitation.