Scientific Papers

The dentition of the narrownose smooth-hound shark

The dentition of the narrownose smooth-hound shark

Published online on 19. May 2014 The dentition of the narrownose smooth-hound shark, Mustelus schmitti Mauro Belleggia, Daniel E. Figueroa and Claudia Bremec ABSTRACT: The present study provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis on the dentition of Mustelus schmitti, and estimates the tooth-replacement rate. In total, 47 males and 56 females of M. schmitti were

Genetic structure of populations of whale sharks among ocean basins

Genetic structure of populations of whale sharks among ocean basins

Published online on 14. May 2014 Genetic structure of populations of whale sharks among ocean basins and evidence for their historic rise and recent decline Vignaud, T. M., Maynard, J. A., Leblois, R., Meekan, M. G., Vázquez-Juárez, R., Ramírez-Macías, D., Pierce, S. J., Rowat, D., Berumen, M. L., Beeravolu, C., Baksay, S. and Planes, S.

Big catch, little sharks: Insight into Peruvian small-scale longline fisheries

Big catch, little sharks: Insight into Peruvian small-scale longline fisheries

Published online on 14. May 2014 Big catch, little sharks: Insight into Peruvian small-scale longline fisheries Doherty, P. D., Alfaro-Shigueto, J., Hodgson, D. J., Mangel, J. C., Witt, M. J. & Godley, B. J. ABSTRACT: Shark take, driven by vast demand for meat and fins, is increasing. We set out to gain insights into the

Fatal attack by a juvenile tiger shark on a kitesurfer in New Caledonia

Fatal attack by a juvenile tiger shark on a kitesurfer in New Caledonia

Published online on 30. April 2014 Fatal attack by a juvenile tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, on a kitesurfer in New Caledonia (South Pacific) Eric Clua, Pierre-Marie Bescond, Dennis Reid ABSTRACT: We present a case of a non-provoked fatal shark attack on a 15-year old male kitesurfer in New Caledonia. The victim lost his board and

New occurrence of big eye thresher shark in Gulf of Mannar, southeast coast of India

New occurrence of big eye thresher shark in Gulf of Mannar, southeast coast of India

Published in May 2014 New occurrence of big eye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus lowe, 1841 in Gulf of Mannar, southeast coast of India Gowthaman A M, Jawahar P, Venkataramani V K The big eye thresher Alopias superciliosus Lowe, 1841 is a pelagic subtropical species with a circumtropical distribution. Its occurrence in India has been reported

Revisiting the Role of Large Food-Falls ( Whale Shark and Mobulid Rays )

Revisiting the Role of Large Food-Falls ( Whale Shark and Mobulid Rays )

Published on 07. May 2014 Fish Food in the Deep Sea: Revisiting the Role of Large Food-Falls Nicholas D. Higgs, Andrew R. Gates, Daniel O. B. Jones ABSTRACT: The carcasses of large pelagic vertebrates that sink to the seafloor represent a bounty of food to the deep-sea benthos, but natural food-falls have been rarely observed.

Short- and long-term importance of small sharks in the diet of the rare deep-sea shark Dalatias licha

Short- and long-term importance of small sharks in the diet of the rare deep-sea shark Dalatias licha

Published online on 13. May 2014 Short- and long-term importance of small sharks in the diet of the rare deep-sea shark Dalatias licha Joan Navarro, Lourdes López, Marta Coll, Claudio Barría, Raquel Sáez-Liante ABSTRACT: Knowing the trophic ecology of marine predators is essential to develop an understanding of their ecological role in ecosystems. Research conducted

Pectoral fin morphology of batoid fishes

Pectoral fin morphology of batoid fishes

Published online on 5. May 2014 Pectoral fin morphology of batoid fishes (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea): Explaining phylogenetic variation with geometric morphometrics Oliver Franklin, Colin Palmer, Gareth Dyke ABSTRACT: The diverse cartilaginous fish lineage, Batoidea (rays, skates, and allies), sister taxon to sharks, comprises a huge range of morphological diversity which to date remains unquantified and unexplained

Increasing rate of species discovery in sharks coincides with sharp population declines

Increasing rate of species discovery in sharks coincides with sharp population declines

Accepted on 28. April 2014 Increasing rate of species discovery in sharks coincides with sharp population declines: implications for biodiversity Randhawa, Haseeb; Poulin, Robert; Krkosek, Martin ABSTRACT: The global biodiversity of some taxonomic groups is poorly described, but thought to be decreasing rapidly. Surprisingly, this holds for a group of the world’s most iconic large-bodied

Exercise and Shark Liver Oil Supplementation Reduce Tumor Growth and Cancer Cachexia

Exercise and Shark Liver Oil Supplementation Reduce Tumor Growth and Cancer Cachexia

Published on 20. March 2014 Exercise and Shark Liver Oil Supplementation Reduce Tumor Growth and Cancer Cachexia in Walker 256 Tumor Bearing Rats Kryczyk M, Bordignon J, Iagher F, Nunes EA, Yamazaki RK, et al. ABSTRACt: This study investigated whether exercise associated to shark liver oil supplementation (1 g/kg b.w./day) affects tumor growth, cachexia, lipid

Age and Growth of the Round Stingray Urotrygon rogersi

Age and Growth of the Round Stingray Urotrygon rogersi

Published on 28. April 2014 Age and Growth of the Round Stingray Urotrygon rogersi, a Particularly Fast-Growing and Short-Lived Elasmobranch Paola A. Mejía-Falla, Enric Cortés, Andrés F. Navia, Fernando A. Zapata ABSTRACT: We examined the age and growth of Urotrygon rogersi on the Colombian coast of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean by directly estimating age

Demographic analysis of the shortfin mako shark in the Northwest Pacific

Demographic analysis of the shortfin mako shark in the Northwest Pacific

Published online on 16. April 2014 Demographic analysis of the shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus, in the Northwest Pacific using a two-sex stage-based matrix model Wen-Pei Tsai, Chi-Lu Sun, André E. Punt, Kwang-Ming Liu ABSTRACT: Most demographic models are single sex, and assume both sexes have the same vital rates. However, many species, including the

Evidence of fishing down and illegal shark finning in the Galápagos Islands

Evidence of fishing down and illegal shark finning in the Galápagos Islands

Published online on 23. April 2014 The demise of Darwin’s fishes: evidence of fishing down and illegal shark finning in the Galápagos Islands Laurenne Schiller, Juan José Alava, Jack Grove, Günther Reck, Daniel Pauly ABSTRACT: The fauna of the Galápagos Island chain is characterized by high biodiversity and endemism. Thus, the conservation of its terrestrial

Historical records reveal potential extirpation of four hammerhead sharks in Mexican Pacific waters

Historical records reveal potential extirpation of four hammerhead sharks in Mexican Pacific waters

Published online on 23. April 2014 Historical records reveal potential extirpation of four hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna spp.) in Mexican Pacific waters Juan Carlos Pérez-Jiménez ABSTRACT: Populations of hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna and Eusphyra) have declined in many regions of the world. Six of the eight hammerheads known to date are distributed in the Mexican Pacific: S.

A Palaeozoic shark with osteichthyan-like branchial arches

A Palaeozoic shark with osteichthyan-like branchial arches

Published online on 16. April 2014 A Palaeozoic shark with osteichthyan-like branchial arches Alan Pradel, John G. Maisey, Paul Tafforeau, Royal H. Mapes, Jon Mallatt ABSTRACT: The evolution of serially arranged, jointed endoskeletal supports internal to the gills—the visceral branchial arches—represents one of the key events in early jawed vertebrate (gnathostome) history, because it provided