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Reproductive biology of the blackmouth catshark, Galeus melastomus (Chondrichthyes: Scyliorhinidae) off the Languedocian coast (southern France, northern Mediterranean)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2008

C. Capapé ,
O. Guélorget ,
Y. Vergne  and
C. Reynaud
C. Capapé*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie, case 104, Université Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
O. Guélorget
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie, case 104, Université Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
Y. Vergne
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie, case 104, Université Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
C. Reynaud
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie, case 104, Université Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, 34 095 Montpellier cedex 05, France
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: C. Capapé Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie case 104Université Montpellier II, Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc34 095 Montpellier cedex 05France email: capape@univ-montp2.fr
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Abstract

The blackmouth catshark, Galeus melastomus presents a wide Atlanto-Mediterranean distribution, and is commonly captured off the Languedocian coast (southern France, northern Mediterranean). The males and females sexually matured between 510–550 mm and 520–610 mm total length (TL), respectively. The largest male and the largest female were 620 mm and 640 mm TL, respectively. There was a significant relationship of total liver mass vs TL between males and females. The diameter of the largest yolky oocytes ranged from 15 to 18 mm (16.5 ± 2.7). Production of egg cases was observed throughout the year, except in September. Egg cases had between 36 and 50 mm (mean: 45.3 mm ± 3.9) in length without horns, and between 14 and 21 mm (18.2 mm ± 1.4) in width. Fecundity remained difficult to assess; an estimation based on production of egg cases enabled us to consider 93 egg cases per year as a maximum.

Keywords

ScyliorhinidaeGaleus melastomusreproductive biologycoast of LonguedocFranceMediterranean Sea
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 88 , Issue 2 , March 2008 , pp. 415 - 421
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2008

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