Reproductive biology and diet of the grey sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon oligolinx Springer, 1964 (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhinidae) from the north-eastern Arabian Sea

Abstract

Information on reproductive biology is presented for the grey sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon oligolinx Springer, 1964 (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes), collected off the north-west coast of India in the Arabian Sea. A total of 711 individuals, of 27.0 to 93.0 cm total length (TL), 180 to 2600 g total weight (TW) were used for the study. The length-weight relationships were significantly different between the sexes. The size-at-maturity (Lm50) for females and males was estimated to be 62.3 and 59.5 cm TL respectively. Number of embryos ranged from 1 to 7 and the size at birth was estimated between 25 to 30 cm TL. Overall sex ratio favoured the females slightly at the rate of 1.27:1. There was significant positive correlation between maternal TL and number of embryos (p<0.001). Dietary analysis of stomach contents (%IRI) revealed that R. oligolinx feeds primarily on teleosts (95.5%), cephalopods (3.2%) and crustaceans (1.2%). This study presents the first detailed biological observation on size, sex composition, size-at-maturity (Lm50) and length-weight relationship of R. oligolinx from the northern Arabian Sea.