The reproductive ecology and abundance of Symptevygia bonapavtii endemic to the south‐west Atlantic

Abstract

Logistical ogives gave an estimated LT50 value (i.e. the total length at which 50% individuals are sexually mature) of 635 mm for female and 650 mm for male Sympterygia bonapartii. Mature individuals of both sexes had significantly larger livers than immature ones and females had a significantly heavier liver than males. Clasper elongation was the first step in male maturation, followed by clasper calcification and the development of alar thorns. In mature females, the right ovary was larger than the left, which was apparently due to differences in stroma tissue. Gonadosomatic index and diameter of ovarian follicles of mature females peaked in late spring and was at a minimum from late summer and through the winter. Juvenile S. bonapartii were more abundant near estuarine areas during winter, and adults appeared in estuaries by late spring and summer. Females carrying egg‐cases were found near the shore in late spring and egg‐cases were found in benthic samples only in shallow waters suggesting that S. bonapartii deposits egg‐cases in shallow waters during late spring‐summer and that nursery areas are in outer estuarine zones. In the southern part (38°–42° S) of the study area S. bonapartii showed a strong movement to shallow waters in late spring and summer, spreading over the entire coastal area in winter. These movements are discussed in relation to water temperature and trophic interactions.