The blacknose shark (Carcharhinus acronotus) is a common small coastal shark species found in nearshore waters along the southeast coast of the United States, from North Carolina into the Gulf of Mexico and extending further south into the Bahamas. There has been some debate in recent years over the reproductive periodicity of C. acronotus in waters off the U.S. coast. Earlier studies have suggested that Gulf C. acronotus reproduce on an annual basis whereas the Atlantic populations of this species may reproduce biennially. Additionally, there have been no known studies on the diet of C. acronotus. The goal of the present study was to re-evaluate the reproductive biology of the Atlantic populations of C. acronotus with the intent on clarifying discrepancies in reproduction as well as provide information on dietary trends. This was accomplished by examining male and female reproductive tracts and gut contents in animals caught throughout the Atlantic range of C. acronotus. Based on these data, spermatogenesis occurs between late May to early July with peak sperm production occurring in June and July. In females, follicular development is complete by late June-early July with ovulation occurring shortly afterwards. Mating occurs between mid-June and early July based on the presence of fresh mating scars on females captured during this time. Current data suggests that gestation begins late July with parturition occurring late May to early June the following year. As observed in earlier studies, reproductive periodicity appears to be largely biennial. However, evidence for concurrent follicular development and pregnancy was observed in several females, suggesting that at least a portion of the Atlantic population may reproduce on an annual basis. Dietary data shows a dominance of teleost prey items in the diets of C. acronotus with scianids making up the majority of the identifiable teleosts.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unf.edu/oai:digitalcommons.unf.edu:etd-1396 |
| Date | 01 January 2012 |
| Creators | Ford, Ryan Michael |
| Publisher | UNF Digital Commons |
| Source Sets | University of North Florida |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | UNF Theses and Dissertations |
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