Author:
Bridge Natalie F.,Mackay Duncan,Newton Gina
Abstract
Ornate angel sharks were sampled from commercial catches from the Great
Australian Bight trawl fishery during the period from February 1992 to
February 1993. Size structure, reproduction and diet were studied. Both sexes
exhibited similar length–weight relationships. Morphological data
indicate that the most accurate conversion to total length (TL) would be
obtained from the distance between the granular ocelli on the trunk near the
pectoral fins. Males reached sexual maturity at a TL of 810–910 mm,
females at 1150–1250 mm. The male:female ratio was 1:3 for the
post partum population and 1:1 for embryos. Both ovaries
were functional throughout the year, but the left ovary contained more ovarian
follicles than the right. Follicle diameters ranged from 1 to 68 mm; the
largest follicle was found during autumn, before ovulation, the smallest
during spring, after ovulation. Eighteen near-term embryos from four females
were observed during January and February 1993. The number of young per female
ranged from 2 to 9. It appears that S. tergocellata has
a minimum gestation period of 6–12 months and parturition may occur
biennially. The most common stomach contents were squid
(Notodarus gouldi) and fish (mainly Monacanthidae).
Subject
Ecology,Aquatic Science,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics,Oceanography
Cited by
23 articles.
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