Reproductive biology of the brown smooth-hound shark, Mustelus henlei (Chondrichthyes: Triakidae), off northwestern Mexico based on macroscopic and histological analyses

Abstract

The brown smooth-hound shark Mustelus henlei is one of the most abundant species caught by the artisanal elasmobranch fishery off northwestern Mexico. The present study estimates the reproductive parameters for M. henlei using, for the first time, histological analysis and survey data collected from May 2008 to May 2016. Mustelus henlei was reported in the landings from February to November each year (n = 1,469). Total length (TL) varied between 450 and 1,530 mm (average = 753 mm, SD = 111). The sex ratio (male:female) was similar to the 1:1 ratio. Gravid females were caught during April, August, and November. Average fecundity was 9. Length at maturity was 656 mm TL for females and 636 mm TL for males, and length at maternity, estimated for the first time for this species, was 676 mm TL. The first phases of spermatogenesis and oogenesis were identified through histological analysis of gonads from immature individuals. Semen storage was detected in the oviducal gland of females at the terminal zone, whereas in males spermatozeugmata was detected in the seminal vesicles. According to the species reproductive parameters, M. henlei can be categorized as a species of high biological productivity among elasmobranchs and can thus support certain level of fishing pressure off northwestern Mexico if adequate fishing management and regulatory measures are employed. Some of the reproductive parameters that were estimated for this species in the present study were different from those estimated for other stocks from Mexican and United States waters.
 Key words: reproduction, length at maturity, length at maternity, semen storage, Mustelus henlei.

Regional variation in multiple paternity in the brown smooth‐hound shark Mustelus henlei from the northeastern Pacific

“…In addition, the ovarian cycle and gestation are concurrent. After females give birth, they are ready to be newly inseminated ( i.e ., ovulation is present), which is reflected in a short insemination window (Silva‐Santos, 2012; Soto‐López et al ., 2018). Nonetheless, because of the high catch volumes of this species in Baja California Sur (Compagno, 1984), it has been hypothesized that the region is a reproductive aggregation zone that allows for multiple matings, and the sex ratio is not significantly different between sexes (1.05 females:1.00 males; Soto‐López et al ., 2018), which could explain the high frequency of MP (93%) that has been reported (Byrne & Avise, 2012).…”

Molecular identification and first demographic insights of sharks based on artisanal fisheries bycatch in the Pacific Coast of Colombia: implications for conservation

“…Mustelus lunulatus size at maturity is approximately 97–103.2 cm for females and 70–91.5 cm for males, having six to 19 pups per litter ( Compagno, 1984 ): ( Pérez-Jiménez & Sosa-Nishizaki, 2010 ; Méndez-Macías et al, 2019 ). Mustelus henlei size at maturity is approximately 51–63.5 cm for females and 52–66 cm, for males, having 1–10 or 1–21 pups per litter depending on their geographic location ( Yudin, 1987 ; Yudin & Cailliet, 1990 ; Pérez-Jiménez & Sosa-Nishizaki, 2008 ; Chabot & Haggin, 2014 ; Soto-López et al, 2018 ).…”

“…In fisheries, the resilience of a stock is related to the reproductive characteristics of a species ( Soto-López et al, 2018 ). Sharks such as M. lunulatus and M. henlei have rather high fecundity and short reproductive cycles and thus relatively high productivity among elasmobranchs ( Walker, 2005 ; Soto-López et al, 2018 ), which may help the species secure a higher recruitment rate relative to mortality by fishing pressure ( Feitosa et al, 2018 ). This, coupled with the fact that both species mature at an early age, increases the probability that captured individuals have already reached sexual maturity and produced offspring ( Fig.…”

Population structure and reproductive biology of the scalloped hammerhead Sphyrna lewini (Carcharhiniformes: Sphyrnidae) caught in artisanal fisheries of Oaxaca, Mexico

“…La longitud en la que el 50% de los tiburones están maduros (L 50 ) se determinó para hembras y machos, y también se estimó la talla de maternidad (L 50 de maternidad) (Mollet et al, 2000;Corro-Espinosa et al, 2011;Soto-López et al, 2018) para hembras por medio de la función logística: Donde, Fm es la fracción de tiburones maduros (o fracción de hembras preñadas), L i la longitud total, los parámetros a y L 50 fueron estimados ajustando la función mediante el criterio de máxima verosimilitud (Haddon, 2001); el valor de a representa la pendiente de la curva que describe la tasa de cambio de hembras inmaduras a hembras maduras y L 50 la talla a la cual el 50% de la población se encuentra madura.…”