Evasive mating behaviour by female nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788), in an equatorial insular breeding ground

Afonso, André S.; Cantareli, Carlos Venicio; Levy, Rafael P.; Veras, Leonardo B.

doi:10.1590/1982-0224-20160103

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Adults (15%, n = 14) and pregnant females (1%, n = 1) were only captured during spring and early summer (April and June) at > 15 m depth in Ensenada Grande. The adults (n = 4) captured in April 2018 were females with swollen distended cloaca evidenced with a reddish coloration indicating possible recent mating or parturition (Supplementary Information Figure S1) as it has been interpreted in other elasmobranch species 36,37 .…”

Section: Conventional Tagging a Total Of 95 Munk's Pygmy Devil Rays mentioning

confidence: 99%

Description of first nursery area for a pygmy devil ray species (Mobula munkiana) in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Palacios

Hoyos-Padilla

Trejo-Ramírez³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Munk’s pygmy devil rays (Mobula munkiana) are medium-size, zooplanktivorous filter feeding, elasmobranchs characterized by aggregative behavior, low fecundity and delayed reproduction. These traits make them susceptible to targeted and by-catch fisheries and are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Multiple studies have examined fisheries impacts, but nursery areas or foraging neonate and juvenile concentrations have not been examined. This study describes the first nursery area for M. munkiana at Espiritu Santo Archipelago, Mexico. We examined spatial use of a shallow bay during 22 consecutive months in relation to environmental patterns using traditional tagging (n = 95) and acoustic telemetry (n = 7). Neonates and juveniles comprised 84% of tagged individuals and their residency index was significantly greater inside than outside the bay; spending a maximum of 145 consecutive days within the bay. Observations of near-term pregnant females, mating behavior, and neonates indicate an April to June pupping period. Anecdotal photograph review indicated that the nursery area is used by neonates and juveniles across years. These findings confirm, for the first time, the existence of nursery areas for Munk’s pygmy devil rays and the potential importance of shallow bays during early life stages for the conservation of this species.

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Section: Conventional Tagging a Total Of 95 Munk's Pygmy Devil Rays mentioning

confidence: 99%

Description of first nursery area for a pygmy devil ray species (Mobula munkiana) in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Palacios

Hoyos-Padilla

Trejo-Ramírez³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…The reason why lemon sharks are attracted specifically to the lagoon in FEN is still speculative. For G. cirratum in FEN and in Dry Tortugas, the use of sheltered, shallow, and structurally complex bottoms may be related to mate selection of mating avoidance (Afonso et al, 2016;Carrier & Pratt, 1998). On the other hand, observations herein suggest that it might be easier to males to herd and grasp females against the shoreline and structured bottoms, although there is no information if they are able to resume copulation in this habitat.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Comportamiento de apareamiento del tiburón limón Negaprion brevirostris (Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae), revelado por la ciencia ciudadana en el Océano Atlántico Ecuatorial

Garla

Veras²,

Garrone‐Neto³

2022

Rev. Biol. Trop.

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Introduction: Knowledge on the copulatory behavior and mating ground requirements of large sharks, including the lemon shark, Negaprion brevirostris, is scarce, hampering conservation efforts. Objective: To describe an area in the Equatorial Atlantic used as a mating ground by N. brevirostris, as well as part of the species pre-copulatory behaviors based on citizen reports. Methods: Between 2004 and 2019, recreational divers, dive guides and rangers from the Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (FEN) recorded courtship behaviour, females with mating scars, pregnant females, and adult males. Results: N. brevirostris was recorded mating in shallow waters (0.5-2 m deep) during the austral summer (December to March). A specific location in the MPA, Buraco da Raquel lagoon, was the main aggregation and mating site for adult N. brevirostris in FEN. Conclusions: Citizen science records allowed the identification of shallow waters as key sites for the reproduction of this shark in FEN. Results highlight the potential of citizen science contributions to knowledge of sharks in nature and show MPAs as essential for habitat conservation of sharks with decreasing populations along the Brazilian coast, such as N. brevirostris. We present management recommendations to protect N. brevirostris there and elsewhere.

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“…Most nurse sharks in this range clearly do not use the DTCMG for mating and reproduction, but it is possible that they use other, more cryptic sites to which they show an equal level of site fidelity. For instance, nurse shark mating has been regularly observed at Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas [ 64 ] and Fernando de Noronha, Brazil [ 65 ]. Potential group courtship behavior has also been video recorded in the Marquesas Island group, Florida, approximately 75 km east of the DTCMG [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term use of a shark breeding ground: Three decades of mating site fidelity in the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum

Whitney

Pratt²,

Knotek³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Understanding shark mating dynamics and mating site use may be vital to species management. The Dry Tortugas courtship and mating ground (DTCMG) has been known as a mating site for nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum, since 1895. In a 30-yr (1992–2021) study we have documented long-term site fidelity to this area with data from 137 adult sharks (89 female, 48 male) tagged with PIT, fin, and acoustic tags. Of 118 sharks tagged from 1993 to 2014, at least 80 (68%) returned to the DTCMG in subsequent years during the June-July mating season. Known individuals returned in up to 16 different mating seasons and over periods of up 28 years, indicating that life span extends well into the forties for this species. Of all returning sharks, 59% (N = 47) have been monitored for over 10 years and 13% (N = 10) have been monitored for over 20 years. Males arrived annually in May and June and departed in July, whereas females arrived biennially or triennially in June, with a secondary peak in site use in September and August, likely associated with thermoregulation during gestation. During the mating season, males made more frequent visits of shorter duration (median = 34 visits for 1 h per visit) to the DTCMG, whereas females made fewer visits but remained on site for longer periods (median = 12.5 visits for 4.4 h per visit). Females typically mated biennially but showed a triennial cycle in 32% of cases, with many females switching cycles at least once. This pattern would reduce the potential reproductive lifetime output of a female by 11% compared to what would be projected from a strict biennial cycle. The long-term mating site fidelity of this shark population reveals the importance of identifying and protecting mating sites for this and other elasmobranch species.

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Evasive mating behaviour by female nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788), in an equatorial insular breeding ground

Cited by 15 publications

References 18 publications

Description of first nursery area for a pygmy devil ray species (Mobula munkiana) in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Description of first nursery area for a pygmy devil ray species (Mobula munkiana) in the Gulf of California, Mexico

Comportamiento de apareamiento del tiburón limón Negaprion brevirostris (Carcharhiniformes: Carcharhinidae), revelado por la ciencia ciudadana en el Océano Atlántico Ecuatorial

Long-term use of a shark breeding ground: Three decades of mating site fidelity in the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum

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