Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Life history of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico, with comments on geographic variability in life history traits

  • Published:
Environmental Biology of Fishes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Synopsis

We determined age and growth, size at maturity, and fecundity for cownose rays, Rhinoptera bonasus, collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Vertebral age estimates ranged from 0+ to 18+ years for females and 0+ to 16+ years for males. Annual deposition of growth increments was verified with marginal increment analysis. Likelihood ratio tests indicated that the growth of the cownose ray was best described by a combined sexes Gompertz model. Median size at 50% maturity was determined to be 642 mm DW for males and 653 mm DW for females, or 4–5 years of age. Median pup size-at-birth was estimated to be 350 mm DW, with a gestation period of 11–12 months. In all cases, gravid females contained only one pup. Statistically significant differences were detected between growth curves for the Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic Ocean. Cownose rays in the Gulf of Mexico had lower estimates of DW∞ and K, and a higher theoretical longevity than their conspecifics in the western Atlantic Ocean. Cownose rays in the Gulf of Mexico also attain maturity at a smaller size and earlier age than their counterparts in the western Atlantic Ocean.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • R.J. Beamish D.A. Fournier (1981) ArticleTitleA method for comparing the precision of a set of age determinations Can. J. Fish Aquat. Sci 38 982–983

    Google Scholar 

  • H.B. Bigelow W.C. Schroeder (1953) Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Part I, Lancets, cyclostomes and sharks. Memoir Sears Foundation for Marine Research Allen Press Lawrence 576

    Google Scholar 

  • R.A. Blaylock (1993) ArticleTitleDistribution and abundance of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in lower Chesapeake Bay Estuaries 16 255–263

    Google Scholar 

  • G.M. Cailliet K.J. Goldman (2004) Age determination and validation in chondrichthyan fishes J.C. Carrier J.A. Musick M.R. Heithaus (Eds) Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives CRC Press Boca Raton 399–447

    Google Scholar 

  • Cailliet, G.M., K.G. Yudin, S. Tanaka & T. Taniuchi. 1990. Growth characteristics of two populations of Mustelus manazo from Japan based on cross-readings of vertebral bands. pp 167–176. In: H.L. Pratt Jr., S.H. Gruber & T. Taniuchi (eds) Elasmobranchs as Living Resources: Advances in the Biology, Ecology, Systematics, and the Status of the Fisheries, U.S. Department of Commerce. NOAA Technicial Report NMFS 90.

  • G.M. Cailliet H.F. Mollet G.G. Pittenger D. Bedford L.J. Natanson (1992) ArticleTitleGrowth and demography of the Pacific angel shark (Squatina californica), based upon tag returns off California Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater Res 43 1313–1330

    Google Scholar 

  • S.E. Campana (2001) ArticleTitleAccuracy, precision and quality control in age determination, including a review of the use and abuse of age validation methods J. Fish Biol 59 197–242

    Google Scholar 

  • J.K. Carlson J.H. Brusher (1999) ArticleTitleAn index of abundance for coastal species of juvenile sharks from the northeast Gulf of Mexico Mar. Fish. Rev 61 37–45

    Google Scholar 

  • J.K. Carlson I.E. Baremore (2005) ArticleTitleGrowth dynamics of the spinner shark, Carcharhinus brevipinna, off the Southeast United States and Gulf of Mexico: a comparison of methods Fish Bull 103 208–291

    Google Scholar 

  • J.K. Carlson I.E. Baremore (2003) ArticleTitleChanges in biological parameters of Atlantic sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon terraenovae in the Gulf of Mexico: evidence for density-dependent growth and maturity Mar Freshwater Res 54 227–234

    Google Scholar 

  • J.K. Carlson E. Cortès D. Bethea (2003) ArticleTitleLife history and population dynamics of the finetooth shark, Carcharhinus isodon, in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico Fish. Bull 101 281–292

    Google Scholar 

  • R.M. Cerrato (1990) ArticleTitleInterpretable statistical tests for growth comparisons using parameters in the von Bertalanffy equation Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci 47 1416–1426

    Google Scholar 

  • W.Y.B. Chang (1982) ArticleTitleA statistical method for evaluating the reproducibility of age determination Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci 39 1208–1210

    Google Scholar 

  • Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the World. An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Sharks Species Known to Date. Part 1. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125, part 1. Rome. 249 pp.

  • J.L. Devore (2000) Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences EditionNumber5 Duxbury Australia 775

    Google Scholar 

  • W.B. Driggers SuffixIII J.K. Carlson D. Oakley G. Ulrich B. Cullum J.M. Dean (2004) ArticleTitleAge and growth of the blacknose shark, Carcharhinus acronotus, in the western North Atlantic Ocean with comments on regional variation in growth rates Environ. Biol. Fish 71 171–178

    Google Scholar 

  • A.J. Fabens (1965) ArticleTitleProperties and fitting of the von Bertalanffy growth curve Growth 29 265–289 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CCmC3cnhsFI%3D Occurrence Handle5865688

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • J.A. Gulland (1969) Manual of Methods for Fish Stock Assessment. Part 1. Fish Population Analysis FAO of the United Nations Rome 154

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Haddon (2001) Modelling and Quantitative Methods in Fisheries Chapman & Hall–CRC Boca Raton 406

    Google Scholar 

  • M.J. Holden (1974) Problems in the rational exploitation of elasmobranch populations and some suggested solutions F.R. Harden-Jones (Eds) Sea Fisheries Research John Wiley and Sons New York 117–137

    Google Scholar 

  • D.K. Kimura (1980) ArticleTitleLikelihood methods for the von Bertalanffy growth curve Fish. Bull 77 765–776

    Google Scholar 

  • L.A. Lombardi-Carlson E. Cortés G.R. Parsons C.A. Manire (2003) ArticleTitleLatitudinal variation in life-history traits of bonnethead sharks, Sphyrna tiburo, (Carcharhiniformes:Sphyrnidae) from the eastern Gulf of Mexico Mar. Freshwater Res 54 875–883

    Google Scholar 

  • McEachran, J.D. & C. Capapé. 1984. Rhinopteridae. pp. 208. In: P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen & E. Tortonese (eds) Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Vol. 1, UNESCO.

  • McEachran, J.D. & Fechhelm, J.D. 1998. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Vol. 1, University of Texas Press. 192 pp.

  • H.F. Mollet G. Cliff H.L. Pratt SuffixJr. J.D. Stevens (2000) ArticleTitleReproductive biology of the female shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810, with comments on the embryonic development of lamnoids Fish. Bull 98 299–318

    Google Scholar 

  • H.F. Mollet J.M. Ezcurra J.B. O’Sullivan (2002) ArticleTitleCaptive biology of the pelagic stingray, Dasyatis violacea (Bonaparte, 1832) Mar. Freshwater Res 53 531–541

    Google Scholar 

  • L.J. Natanson J.G. Casey N.E. Kohler (1995) ArticleTitleAge and growth estimates for the dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus, in the western North Atlantic Ocean Fish. Bull 93 116–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Neer, J.A., J.K. Blackburn & B.A. Thompson. In press. Shark nursery areas of central Louisiana’s nearshore Shark nursery grounds of the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast waters of the United States. American Fisheries Society.

  • J.A. Neer G.M. Cailliet (2001) ArticleTitleAspects of the Life history of the Pacific electric ray, Torpedo californica (Ayres) Copeia 2001 842–847

    Google Scholar 

  • G.R. Parsons (1993) ArticleTitleGeographic variation in reproduction between two populations of the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo Environ. Biol. Fish 38 25–35

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Richards (1959) ArticleTitleA flexible growth function for empirical use J. Exp. Bot 10 290–300

    Google Scholar 

  • W.E. Ricker (1975) Computation and Interpretation of Biological Statistics of Fish Populations Bulletin of the Fisheries Research Board Canada 191 Ottawa 382

    Google Scholar 

  • R.E. Ricklefs (1967) ArticleTitleA graphical method of fitting equations to growth curves Ecology 48 978–983

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, F.J. 1967. Embryology and feeding behavior of the Atlantic cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus. Association of Island Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean – 7th Meeting, Barbados, West Indies. 000 pp.

  • F.J. Schwartz (1990) ArticleTitleMass migratory congregations and movements of several species of cownose rays, Genus Rhinoptera: A world-wide review J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc 106 10–13

    Google Scholar 

  • J.W. Smith J.V. Merriner (1985) ArticleTitleFood habits and feeding behavior of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in lower Chesapeake Bay Estuaries 8 305–310

    Google Scholar 

  • J.W. Smith J.V. Merriner (1986) ArticleTitleObservations on the reproductive biology of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in Chesapeake Bay Fish. Bull 84 871–877

    Google Scholar 

  • J.W. Smith J.V. Merriner (1987) ArticleTitleAge and growth, movements and distribution of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in Chesapeake Bay Estuaries 10 153–164

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Bertalanffy Particlevon (1938) ArticleTitleA quantitative theory of organic growth (inquiries on growth laws II.) Human Biol 10 181–213 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaA1MXksVGhtg%3D%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • P.A. Walker J.R.G. Hislop (1998) ArticleTitleSensitive skates or resilient rays? Spatial and temporal shifts in ray species composition in the central and north-western North Sea between 1930 and present day ICES J. Mar. Sci 55 392–402

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Yano (1993) ArticleTitleReproductive biology of the slender smoothhound, Gollum attenuatus, collected from New Zealand waters Environ. Biol. Fish 38 59–71

    Google Scholar 

  • J.H. Zar (1984) Biostatistical Analysis EditionNumber2 Prentice-Hall New Jersey 243

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coastal Fisheries Institute, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803-7503, U.S.A.

    Julie A. Neer & Bruce A. Thompson

Authors
  1. Julie A. Neer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bruce A. Thompson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julie A. Neer.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Neer, J.A., Thompson, B.A. Life history of the cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico, with comments on geographic variability in life history traits. Environ Biol Fish 73, 321–331 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-005-2136-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-005-2136-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation