ANNALES • Ser. hist. nal. • 12 • 2002 • 2 original scientific paper UDC 597:591.16(262.4) received: 2007.-01-18 MORPHOMETRICS OF YOUNG KITEFIN SHARKS, DALATIAS LiCHA (BONNATERRE, 1788), FROM NORTHEASTERN AEGEAN SEA, WITH NOTES ON ITS BiOLOGY Hùkan KABASAKAL & Elif KAUASAKAL Ichlhyologicai Research Society, Atatürk inahailesi, Mentejogks caddesi, dil «pl., No 30, D 4, TR-Ümraniye 81230 Istanbul E-m a i I : ha kankabasa k a ! @hoirn a i I. com ABSTRACT Biological information on five kitefin sharks, Daiatias licha (Oonnaterre, 1788), three neonates and two post-neonate individuals, captured in October 1999 off the northern coast of Gôkçeada (northeastern Aegean Sea) at a depth of 380 m, are given. Morphometry: measurements of these specimens are presented. Capture of these neonates and post-nconale individuals near Gôkçeada, suggesting that this région may be a nursery area for D. licha. Key words: kitefin shark, Daiatias licha, morphometries, stomach contents, reproduction, Aegean Sea DATI MORFOMETRICI DI GIOVANI ESEMPLARI DI SCIMNORINO DALATIAS LICHA (BONNATERRE, 1788} DELL'EGEO NORD-ORIENTALE, CON NOTE SULLA LORO BIOLOGIA SINTESI L'arttcolo fomlsce information/ biologiche su cinque esemplari di scimnorino Daiatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788), de i quali tre neonat i e due post-neonati, catturati in ottobre 1999 al largo del fa costa settentrionale di Gôkçeada (Egeo nord-orientale) ad una profondità dt 380 metri. L'autore presenta i dati morfometrie¡ per tali esemplari. La cattura di questi individu: neonat i e post-neonati in prossimiiä di Gôkçeada fa presupporre che la regtone sia area di nursery per Í3. i ícha. Parole chid ve: scimnorino, Daiatias licha, moriometria, contenuti stomacal;, riproduzione, mar Lgeo. 161 ANNALES • Ser. hist. nat. • 12 • 2002 • 2 Hafcm KAifASAKAI. (. fllf KABASAKAI: MORPHOMfTRIC? OF VOt'NC KJTCI'IN SHARKS, D.AI.ATIA5 LICHA ffiONNATFRRE 17ao>..... 161-160 INTRODUCTION Kitefin shark, Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788) (fig. 1), is a common but, sporadically distributed deepwater, warm-temperate and tropical shark of the outer continental and insular shelves and slopes from 3/ to at least 1800 m depth, but commonest below 200 m (Compagno, 1984). In the Mediterranean Sea, kitefin shark is primarily known from the western part of the area (McEachran & Branstetter, 1984), but several references, indicating its presence in the eastern pari, are also available (e. g. Akjiray, 1987 from Turkish seas; Merk;, 1995 from the Sea of Marmara; Papaconstantinou, 1988 from Greek seas). No information is available on the biological characteristics of this squaiiform shark and the only verified record of the kitefin shark in the seas of Turkey is from the Sea of Marmara based on male specimen caught on the northern continental slope at a depth of 270 m on July 1991 (Merit;, 19951. In October 1999, a bottom trawler haul at some .380 m off the northern coast of Gokgeada (northeastern Aegean Sea) included five specimens of D. licha. The present paper aims to provide additional data on the biology of this squaiiform shark. MATERIAL AND METHODS Five male specimens of D. licha were captured by means of an otter-trawl with a cod-end mesh opening of 22 mm from knot to knot, towed on a muddy-sandy bottom off the northern coast of Gokgeada (40°17'01" N, Fig. 2: Sampling location in the northeastern Aegean Sea (drawing by H. Kabasakal). SI. 2: Vzorčišče v severovzhodnem Egejskem morju (risba: H. Kabasakal). Fig. 1: Kitefin shark, Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788), scale bar - 50 mm (photo: H. Kabasakal & E. Kabasakal). Si. 1: Temni morski pes, Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788), merilna lestvica ~ 50 mm (foto: H. Kabasakal & F. Kabasakal). 25°52'15" E; depth 380 m; Fig. 2). Specimens were fixed and preserved in 5 percent seawater-formalin solution. Total lengths (TOT) and forty-seven morphometry measurements of the specimens were measured with a vernier calliper to the nearest 0.05 mm. Morphometric measurements are according to Compagno (1984). Stomachs ot the specimens were dissected and their contents identified to the lowest possible taxon, counted and weighed to the nearest 0.5 gram. Counts and weights of the stomach contents were used to calculate the percent by number (PN%), percent by weight (PW%), percent frequency of occurrence (PO%) and Index of Relative Importance (I.R.I.) of each prey organism consumed by the kitefin sharks {Caiiliet et a/., 1986). I.R.I, of each prey organism was caicuiated according to the formula (Caiiliet &t a/., 1986) below, and its maximum value would be 20,000: l.R.I. = (PN% + PW%) x (PO%). identification of the species and tax.onomic nomenclature follows Compagno (1984). Specimens are kept in the authors' personal collection. RESULTS Total lengths of the examined kitefin sharks, all males, were 338 mm, 344.2 mm, 372.5 mm, 419.1 mm and 470.2 mm. in the freshly caught specimens, the body was uniformly brownish-grey; the rear margins of dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins, and the ventral lobe of caudal fin were whitish-edged (Fig. 1); the tips of the daspers were white (Fig. 3). lateral-line was prominent. The second dorsal fin was slightly larger than the first (Tab. 1, Fig. 1). First dorsal origin somewhat behind free rear tips of pectoral fins, second dorsal origin over about the middle of pelvic bases; both dorsal fins without spines. Gill slits were moderately broad; in the exam- 2.36 ANNAJLES • Ser. hist. nat. • \J • 2002 - 2 ¡ ■tatan KASASAKAl & Liif KAHASAkAl • WORPHOmTtoS OF YOUNG KITČF1N SHARKS, DALAT1AS i.iCH/MBONNA7£RRE t?Bsl- Tab. 1: Morphotnetric measurements of the examined, specimens ofD. licha. Tab. 1: Morfometrični podatki pregledanih primerkov O. lic.ha. Specimen Nos 2 4 5 n Mean TOT % of mean Sex <5 Measurements (in mm) TOT ¡ 338 j 344.2 f 470.2 1 372.5 I 419.1 388.8 — \ Snout tip to j-outer nostrils 3.75 4.7 4.8 4.45 4.8 4.5 1.15 2-eve 9.55 11.35 13.95 12.2 I 3.55 12.12 3.11 3-spiracte 33.05 34.3 38.55 35.9 38 35.96 9.24 4-mouth 18.6 18 25 22.6 22.35 21.31 5.48 :>-l5'gi!l opening 55.4 60.9 69.35 61.05 67.6 62.86 16.16 6-3"' 5Jtil opening 64.35 69.85 78.5 71.25 80.15 72.82 18.72 ¡7-5'hfill! opening 69.45 77.1 86.5 78.65 88.5 80.04 20.58 Z 8-pectoral origin 70.25 78 86.8 78.75 88.55 80.47 20.69 9-pelvic origin 179.55 192.8 228.35 198 226.4 205.02 52-73 10-cloaca 194 200.1 251.45 216.2 249.45 222.24 57.16 1 1-1M dorsai origin 116.65" 124.6 147.4 128.85 145.75 132.65 34.11 12-2"d dorsal origin 197.75 206.75 251.7 219.3 253.6 225.82 58,08 1.3-dorsai caudal origin 252.65 262.4 326.2 279.4 324.15 288.96 74.32 14-ventral caudal origin 241.85 245.05 316 266.5 315.45 276.97 71.23 □¡stance between bases ISA51 and 2™ dorsai fins 68.4 68.3 86.8 76.85 90.25 78.12 20.09 16-2"" and caudal fins 36.7 35.9 50 40.05 44.9 41.51 10.67 17-pectoral and pelvic fins 95.25 97.5 124.9 103.9 120-45 108.4 27.880 Nostrils: distance 1 «-between inner comers | 11.85 I 12.55 | 13.6 | 12.45 J 14.35 I 12.96 S 3.34 Mouth i 19-width ! 24.05 j 25.1 | 33.75 ] 28.8 I 32.65 [ 28.87 j 7.42 Gill opening lengths 20-1" 4.7 4.9 5.5 5.45 7.25 5.56 1.43 21-3"'1 4.35 4.65 4.95 5.45 6.75 5.23 1.34 22-51" 5.35 5.8 7.6 6.1 8.15 6.6 1.69 23-Spiracle: maximum width 5.4 5.5 t 6.6 6.25 7.1 6.17 1.58 Eve 24-horizontal diameter 14.6 15.85 15 25 14.8 16.65 15.43 7.67 3.96 25-vertical diameter 7.75 7.65 8.3 6.6 8.05 1.97 26-interorbitai width 21.05 22.8 26.5 23.6 26.35 24.06 6.18 1" dorsal fin 27-overall length 33.85 33.15 42.05 36.3 42.35 37.54 ! 9.65 28- length base 9.65 14.05 18.1 16.95 18.95 15.54 I 3.99 29-length posterior margin 12.3 13.5 18.2 16.9 1 7.05 15.59 i 4.01 30-height 13.2 14 18.65 17.65 15.35 15.77 1 4.05 2"" dorsal fin 31-overall length 34.45 35.1 46.85 40.55 48.15 41.02 10.55 32-length base 19.75 19.4 26.8 23.85 26.3 23.22 5.97 33-len2th posterior margin 16.45 16.25 20.85 19.95 20.35 18.77 4.82 34-height 16.95 16.9 21.1 20.3 20.8 19.21 4.94 Pectoral fin 35-lengtb base 15.75 16.3 21.65 17.6 19.1 18.08 4.65 36-!ength anterior margin 42.2 46.3 51.5 45.95 51.65 4 7.52 12.23 37-iength dista! margin 17.6 20.85 24 20.95 24.8 21.64 5.56 38-length posterior margin 18.05 24.1 29.85 25.2 26.7 24.78 6.37 Pelvic fin 19-overaII length 38.1 41.55 51.45 44.4 51.15 45.33 11.65 40-lenath base 21.55 25.4 32.1 27.45 31.1 27.5 2 7.07 41-length anterior margin 26 31.75 34.7 34.1 33.8 32.07 8.24 i 42-lenerh clasoer 11.85" 14.35 21.45 14.8 18.8 16.25 4.17 Caudal fin 43-length dorsal lobe 83.05 85.7 101.4 98.85 106.1 95.02 24.43 44-length ventral lobe 42.4 42.6 47.95 44.45 46.25 44.73 11.5 45-dorsal tip to notch 16.05 21.1 26.1 23.55 30.2 23.4 6.01 146-depth notch 13.95 16.25 18.25 ~ 15.8 17.9 16.43 4.22 trunk at pectoral origin ... . 47-height j 34.25 1 33.15 \ 40.05 ! 35.6 1 43.45 t 37.3 ! 9.59 163 ANNALES • Ser. hist. nat. • 12 • 2002 • 2 Hakan KABASAKAL S. Elfi KABASAKAL: MORPHOMÍTRICS O YOUNC KITEHN SHARKS, DAIATIAS UCHA (BONNATêRRE. 1780!.....161-166 Tab. 2: Composition of the stomach contents of the examined specimens of D. licha. Tab. 2: Struktura hrane v želodcih pregledanih primerkov D. licha. PRFY PN% PO% PW% l.R.I. É CEPHALOPODA 1 Sepietia spp. 18.18 20 21.78 799.36 ! Lolino vulgaris 9.09 20 4.57 273.32 Cephalopoda (unidentified) 9.09 20 2.17 225.39 Total Cephalopoda 36.36 60 28.54 3894.23 CRUSTACEA Parapenaeus loneirostris I 9,09 20 4,57 273.32 1 PISCES Caieus melastomus 9.09 20 9.15 364.82 I Chlorophthatmus ägassizir 9.09 20 8.06 343.03 Myctophidae (unidentified) 9.09 20 8.93 360.46 Merluccius merhiccius 9.09 20 38.12 944.34 Teleostei (unidentified) 18.18 40 2.61 831,84 Total Písces 54.54 100 66.88 12143 Fig. 3: Claspers of male D. licha; arrow indicates the white tips of the claspers, scale bar =10 mm (photo: H. Kabasakal & E. Kabasakal). SI. 3: Spolni organ samca D. licha; puščica označuje beli konici spolnega organa, merilo - 10 mm (foto: H. Kabasakal & C. Kabasakal). ined specimens, the 5lh gill slits were slightly larger than the remaining gill slits (Tab. 1). Body surface covered by low flat, ridged, un¡cuspid dermal denticles. Upper teeth were small, slender-cusped and lower teeth large with erect, triangular, blade-like serrated cusps (Fig. 4). Morphometry measurements of the examined specimens are given in Table 1. Claspers of the examined specimens were uncalci-fied, soft and clearly shorter than the pelvic fins (Fig. 3). Moreover, sperm were not observed in seminal vesicles of the specimens. All stomachs of the examined specimens were found to contain food. Prey organisms contained in the stomachs and their numerical daia are given in Table 2 and Figure 5. The three specimens (Nos: 1, 2 and 4; 338 mm, 344.2 mm and 372.5 mm in TOT, respectively) were Fig. 4: Dentition in the upper and lower jaws of D. licha, scale bar =10 mm (photo: H. Kabasakal & E. Kabasakal). St. 4: Zobovje v gornji in spodnji čeljusti D. licha, merilo - 10 mm (foto: H. Kabasakal & C. Kabasakal). found to bear healing umbilical scars on ventral surface between their pectoral fins (Fig. 6). DISCUSSION Compagno (1984) and McEachran & Branstetter (1984) stated that the common maximum length of D. licha is about 159 cm, but it can possibly grow to 182 cm. According to Akjiray (1987), maximum length of this shark in the seas of Turkey is 150 cm. Total length of the largest examined specimen was 470.2 mm and, therefore, specimens of ihe present study represent only juveniles of the northern Aegean Sea population of O. licha. Due to the insufficient morphometric study concerning kitefin sharks captured in the seas of Turkey, it was not possible to compare our data with those of the previous studies. Meric (1995) reported some undetailed 2.36 ANNALES • Scr. hist. naf. • 12 • 2002 ■ 2 Hakau KABASAKAI & Eiif KABASAUAI.: MORPHOMETRICS OF YOUNG WTtllN SHACKS, DAIATIAS OCHA (BOMNATERRE. 17H8).....161 -lib Eassvs-j rtrrnrnT I »..»»■rt-™«! ^gviSJ-t'4 | Ow-l.,,™, ""ii 'l f (j i pggfghjiijg^ fl « MM. i*n }« JS.J n< ^fll««»» Import*»^ ............ HPN/,. KPOV, t PW% _ Fig. 5: l.R.I. diagram of the prey organisms and their numerical (PN%), weight (PW%), and frequency o( occurrence (PO%) values. SI. 5; Diagram l.R.I. (Index relativne pomembnosti plena) in vrednosti, kar zadeva njihovo številčnost (PN%), težo (PW%) in frekvenco pojavljanja (PO%). morphometric data of a male kitefin shark (345 mm TOT) captured in the Sea of Marmara. According to this author, total length / head length (TOT / H;) rati;» of the Marmara specimen was 5.07 and head length / pet (oral : fin length (anterior edge) (I II. / PL) ratio was 1.62 {Merit;, 199:>). In the examined specimens, saint ratios were as follows: TOT / HL was 4.83 and Hi. / PL 1.69. The latter ratios (HL / PL) of the present study and of Merit; (1995) av quite similar, but the former latios (TOT / HI ) are < ¡early different. Standard morphometric measurements of the Marmara specimens of D. iicha have not been recorded by Meric (1995). thus ;t was not possible to : make a comparison between the specimens of kitefin shark captured in Iwo different seas. Macpherson (1980) examined 31 specimens of Scymnorhinus Iicha (= D. Iicha) and recorded primarily fishes, decapod and natantid crustaceans and cephalo-pods in the stomachs. The lengths of the examined specimens of D. Iicha by Macpherson (1980) varied between 32 to 100.8 cm and the main prey organisms consumed by those specimens, in the order of importance, were teieosts Notoscopeius elongatus elongalus, Trachyrhynchus trachyrhynchus and Phycis biennoides, blackmouth cat shark Galeus melastomus, and decapod Amfeus antennatus. In the present study, stomach contents of the examined kitefin sharks were found to contain mainly fishes, followed by cephalopods and decapod Parapenaeus longirostris (Tab. 2, f ig. 5). G. melastomus was the only chonddcthyan consumed by the examined kitefin sharks. In the study area, numerous juveniles of G. melastomus were observed in the trawling hauls and it is one oi the sharks that co-exist with D. li cha (personal observation by both authors). Clarke & Merrett 11972) reported that the high incidence of empty stomachs (90%i of deep sea fishes captured particularly by long-tine fishery may be due to die frequent loss of food during their ascent from great depths. However, the examined male kitefin sharks of the present study captured by otter-trawling and their stomachs were completely full. This suggests that, due to the compression in the cod-end the food was not washed out of the stomachs or that the sharks preyed on food in the net. Furthermore, Compagno (1984) stated that for some reason male D. Iicha have full stomachs more commonly than females. According to Compagno (1984), male 0. Iicha reaches maturity at a total length between 77 to 121 cm. Reported size at birth of this species is about 30 cm (Tortonese, 1956; Compagno, 1984; McEachran & Bran-stetter, 1984). The presence of uncalctfied, soft das- f-ig. 6: Healing umbilical s car (arrow) in the male D. Iicha, scale bar = 50 mm (photo: H. Kabasakai & £. Ka-basakal). Si. 6: Celeča se poporodna brazgotina (puščica) pri samcu D. iicha, merilo = 50 mm (foto: H. Kabasakai & E, Kabasakai). 165 ANNALES • Ser. hist. nat. 12- 2002 • 2 Hakan KABASAKAL & FW KABASAKAL; MORPHOMFFRICS OF YOUNG MTEF-N SHARKS. OALATIAS LICHA fßONNArtRRE, I7SC)..... »61-166 pers showed that our specimens were hence juvenifes. The lengths of our specimens were also smaller than the reported maturing size of D. licha. D. ficha is an ovovi-viparous shark and according to Castro (1993) in the aplacental or ovoviviparous species, neonates are the individuals at or near the birth size, bearing fresh, unhealed or healing umbilical scars, It was observed that three of the examined specimens (Nos: 1, 2 and 4; 338 mm, 344.2 mm and 372.5 mm TOT, respectively) bore umbilical scars (Fig. 6) and were therefore considered neonates. Castro (1993) also stated that the neonatal period terminates with the healing (closure) of the umbilical scar. Thus, the remaining two specimens (Nos: 3 and S; 470.2 and 419.1 mm TOT, respectively) were post- neonatal individuals because no evidence of umbilical scars was observed in those specimens, Tortonese (1956) stated that the breeding season of D. iicha in the Mediterranean Sea is in autumn. The capture of the neonates and post-neonatal individuals in October suggests that the breeding season of D. Iicha in the northern Aegean Sea is also in autumn. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Authors wish to thank the crew of the trawling boat $EK£RBABA 2 of Cokceada for their kind help during field work. MORFOMETRIČNI IN BIOLOŠKI PODATKI O MLADIH TEMNIH MORSKIH PSIH, DALATIAS LICHA (BONNATERRE, 1788), IZ SEVEROVZHODNEGA EGEJSKEGA MORJA Hakan KABASAKAL & Elif KABASAKAL lchlhyoiogi«l Reseaicli Societv, Atatiiik mahailesi, Memefogiu caddesi, idil ¿pt.. No 30, D 4. TR Umraniye 81230 Istanbu! E-mail: hakankabasafcal@fioimaii.com POVZETEK Avtorja navajata biološke podatke o petih temnih morskih psih, Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788) - treh novo-skotenih in dveh malce starejših osebkih - ujetih oktobra 1999 v bližini severne obale Gokceade (severovzhodno Egejsko morje) v globini 380 m. Predstavljeni so tudi njihovi morfološki podatki. Glede na dejstvo, da so bili ti mladi temni morsAi psi ujeli v bližini Gokceade, je verjetno, da je območje razmnoževalno okolje za vrsto Dalatias licha. Ključne besede: temni morski pes, Dalatias licha, morfometrični podatki, struktura hrane v želodcih, razmnoževanje, Egejsko morje REFERENCES Ak§irayf F. (1987): Türkiye Deniz Baliklan ve Tayin Anahtari. 2nd Edition, Publications of Istanbul University, no. 3490, Istanbul, 811 pp. Cailliet, G. M., M. S. Love & A. W. Ebeling (1986): Fishes: a field and laboratory manual on their structure, identification, and natural history. Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, California, 194. Castro, J. I. (1993): The shark nursery of Bulls Bay, South Carolina, with a review of the shark nurseries of the southeastern coast of (he United States. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 38, 37-48. Clarke, M. R. & N. Merrett (1972): The significance of squid, whale and other remains from the stomachs of bottom-living deep-sea fish. j. mar. biol. Ass. U. K., 52, 599-603. Compagno, L. J. V. (1984): FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4: Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date. Part 1. Hex-anchiforrnes to La m n ¡formes. Rome. 249 pp. Macpherson, £ (1980): Régime alimentaire de Galeus melastomus Rafinesque, î fi i0, Etmopterus spinax (L., 1758) et Scymnorhinus licha (Bonnaterre, 1788) en Méditerranée occidentale. Vie Milieu, 30(2), 139-148. McEachran, J. D. & S. Branstetter (1984): Squalidae. In Whitehead, P. ]. P., M. L. Bauchot, ). -C. Hureau, j. Nielsen & E. Tortonese (eds.): Fishes of the Northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Vol, 1, UNESCO, Paris, 128-147. Meriç, N. (1995): A study on existence of some fishes on the continental slope of the Sea of Marmara. Tr. f. of Zoology, 19(2), 191 198. Papaconstantinou, C. (1988): Check-list of marine fishes of Greece. National Center for Marine Research & Hellenic Zoological Society (Ed.), Athens, 257 pp. Tortonese, E. (1956): Fauna d'ltalia vol. II. Leptocardia, Ciclostomata, Selachii. Calderini, Bologna, 334.