Biologia reprodutiva do tubarão galha-branca oceânico, Carcharhinus longimanus, no Atlântico Sudoeste e Equatorial

Abstract

In the period from December 2003 to December 2009, the reproductive tract were collected from 201 individuals of Carcharhinus longimanus, caught by of commercial tuna boats in the fleet, who were pelagic longline fisheries and hand line in the area located between latitudes 06 º 45'N and 23 ° 36'S and longitudes 018 ° 44'W and 053 º 13'W. Among the 201 individuals captured, 98 were females (74.5 – 227 cm TL) and 103 were males (72 – 242 cm TL) with a sexual proportion males to females of 1:1. Females were categorized as immature (N = 78; 74.5 – 170 cm TL), matures (N = 13; 165 – 223 cm TL), pré-ovulatory (N = 2; 181 – 187 cm CT) and pregnant (N = 5; 169 – 227 cm TL). The uterine fecundity ranged from 1 to 10 embryos. The cycle of pregnancy is annual with birth occurring at the end / beginning of the year. The size at first maturity of females was estimated at 170 cm TL. Of the 103 males captured, 75 were immature (72 to 160 cm TL), 8 maturing (170 - 196) and 20 were mature (160 - 242 cm TL). The size of sexual maturity was between 160 and 170 cm.