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Reproductive strategy of the speckled guitarfish, Pseudobatos glaucostigmus (Elasmobranchii: Rhinobatidae), from the South-Eastern Gulf of California, Mexico

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Abstract

We report the reproductive strategy of the speckled guitarfish, Pseudobatos glaucostigmus, a poorly studied elasmobranch caught in the south-eastern Gulf of California. Of 2068 specimens collected from the artisanal and industrial shrimp trawl fisheries, 1073 were females and 995 males. The sex ratio of adults and embryos did not deviate significantly from 1:1 overall or during summer, but significant differences in the other months suggest a temporal sexual segregation. Monthly records of maturity stages, gonado-somatic index, and development of oocytes suggested an annual cycle (May to July) with a gestation period of 6 months (May to October). Parturition began mainly in June, with vitellogenesis and embryonic development being concurrent. Median size-at-maturity for males (50.72 cm TL) was smaller than females (52.58 cm TL), which reached a size-at-maternity of 59.41 cm TL. Fecundity was 1–9 embryos (mean 4 embryos) and increased with maternal body size and weight. From ovulation to parturition, gestation was around 6 months with a possible presence of embryonic diapause. The information presented in this study will establish the baseline for population dynamic and demographic models to determine the stock productivity and establish strategies for the conservation and management of this species in the Gulf of California.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Luis E. Brambila López, Hector Barrón Audelo, and fishermen from southern Sinaloa for allowing us to take samples. Thanks to Vicente Moreno and Horacio Muñoz (CRIAP-Mazatlán) for joining us and collecting samples for us, and to students of ElasmoLab (FACIMAR-UAS). Thanks to Ann Grant to edit the English version of this manuscript.

Data Availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the study are available from the main and corresponding authors.

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Not applicable.

Funding

This work was partially funded by the research project PROFAPI-UAS 2011/101, 2012/99, and 2013/107.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dirección de Investigación Pesquera en el Atlántico, Instituto Nacional de Pesca y Acuacultura, SADER, Mexico City, Mexico

    Raúl E. Lara-Mendoza

  2. Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Paseo Claussen S/N. Los Pinos, CP 82000, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    J. Fernando Márquez-Farías

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  1. Raúl E. Lara-Mendoza
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  2. J. Fernando Márquez-Farías
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Contributions

RELM collected the data; designed and developed the manuscript structure; wrote the introduction, methods, and results; and discussed the analysis of size structure, sex ratio, reproductive period, size-at-maturity, maternity, and fecundity. JFMF participated in the data collection; analyzed the embryo development, growth, and gestation; wrote and edited some sections; and participated in many discussions.

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Correspondence to J. Fernando Márquez-Farías.

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Lara-Mendoza, R.E., Márquez-Farías, J.F. Reproductive strategy of the speckled guitarfish, Pseudobatos glaucostigmus (Elasmobranchii: Rhinobatidae), from the South-Eastern Gulf of California, Mexico. Environ Biol Fish 104, 1501–1514 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-021-01173-w

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