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Maturity index validation in the white-spotted skate Bathyraja albomaculata, from the Falkland Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2010

A.C. Henderson  and
A.I. Arkhipkin
A.C. Henderson*
Affiliation:
Department of Marine Science & Fisheries, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 34, Al-Khod 123, Sultanate of Oman
A.I. Arkhipkin
Affiliation:
Falkland Islands Government Fisheries Department, PO Box 598, Stanley, Falkland Islands
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: A.C. Henderson, Department of Marine Science & Fisheries, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 34, Al-Khod 123, Sultanate of Oman email: aaronh@squ.edu.om
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Abstract

The reproductive systems of 39 male and 54 female Bathyraja albomaculata were assessed microscopically and compared with macroscopic maturity index values assigned by scientific observers. Inconsistencies were limited to ‘developing’ maturity stages in both sexes, but such discrepancies were attributed to different factors depending on sex. Furthermore, while spermatozoa were observed in the oviducal gland of females, they do not appear to accommodate long-term sperm storage in this species.

Keywords

elasmobranchsRajidaefisheryreproductionhistology

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Issue 5 , August 2010 , pp. 1015 - 1018
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

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