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Abstract
Abstract
Although many shark species display predictable and seasonal aggregations related to breeding activities, few studies have reported direct evidence of reproductive interactions of large sharks. In this context, the present study reports the first evidence of mating scars in female tiger sharks Galeocerdo cuvier at the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago (FEN), an oceanic remote insular system in the South Atlantic Ocean. Results from the records of seven wounded females suggest that mating activity may occur between February and August. These females measured between 267 and 372 cm in total length, which is aligned with previous studies reporting size at sexual maturity for Atlantic tiger sharks. Although some females exhibited healed wounds, three of them had fresh, open wounds. One of the females also had a swollen and red cloaca. We also report the first presumably gravid female tiger shark for the region. Although sporadic, the observations herein reported indicate the importance of FEN for tiger shark reproduction in western equatorial Atlantic waters. This finding is especially relevant as FEN has been identified as an important genetic hotspot for tiger sharks, with the largest global genetic diversity for the species.
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; Afonso, André S. 2 ; Bettcher, Vanessa 3 ; Bucair, Nayara 4 ; Andres, Nauther 5 ; Veras, Leonardo B. 6 ; Hazin, Fábio Hissa Vieira 7 ; Garla, Ricardo 8 1 Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo, Brazil (GRID:grid.11899.38) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0722)
2 Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura, Recife, Brazil (GRID:grid.411177.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2111 0565); ARNET – Aquatic Research Network, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Coimbra, Portugal (GRID:grid.8051.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9511 4342)
3 Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ecologia E Evolução (PPGEE), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GRID:grid.412211.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 4687 5267); Universidade Federal Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Laboratório de Ictiologia Aplicada (LICTA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (GRID:grid.467095.9) (ISNI:0000 0001 2237 7915)
4 Instituto Oceanográfico, Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Oceanografia Biológica, Laboratório de Ecologia da Reprodução E Do Recrutamento de Organismos Marinhos (ECORREP), São Paulo, Brazil (GRID:grid.11899.38) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0722)
5 Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Laboratório de Ecologia E Conservação Marinha LABECMar, Santos, Brazil (GRID:grid.411249.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 0514 7202)
6 Instituto Tubarões de Noronha, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil (GRID:grid.411249.b)
7 Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Departamento de Pesca e Aquicultura, Recife, Brazil (GRID:grid.411177.5) (ISNI:0000 0001 2111 0565)
8 Beacon Development, KAUST – King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (GRID:grid.45672.32) (ISNI:0000 0001 1926 5090)