Further notes on the capture of a Carcharhinus leucas, in a northeastern Atlantic oceanic insular shelf, the Azores archipelago, Portugal

Copyright © 2006 Société Française d’Ichtyologie.In March 1993, a specimen of Carcharhinus leucas was captured by fishermen on the south coast of Te rceira Island, the Azores Archipelago. Its head was recovered and its jaws were preserved. This is the first capture of this species on an oceanic insular shelf in the Atlantic. The distribution of C. leucas in this ocean is commented.RÉSUMÉ: Note complémentaire sur la capture de Carcharhinus leucas (Carcharhinidae) dans une île océanique de l’Atlantique nord-est, l’archipel des Açores, Portugal. En mars 1993, un spécimen de Carcharhinus leucas a été capturé par des pêcheurs sur la côte sud de l’île Terceira dans l’archipel desAçores. Sa tête a été récupérée et ses mâchoires préservées. Il s’agit de la première capture de cette espèce sur une plateforme océanique de l’Atlantique. La distribution de C. leucas dans cet océan est commentée

Notes sur les habitudes alimentaires de Rioraja agassizi (Chondrichthyes, Rajidae) dans le sud du Brésil.

Copyright © 2011 Société Française d’Ichtyologie.Feeding habits of the skate Rioraja agassizi were analyzed in southeastern Brazil from samples obtained along São Paulo coast. A total of 258 specimens were examined, ranging between 96 and 532 mm total length. About 57.85% were females and 42.15% were males, resulting in a 1:1.37 sex-ratio to females. From 223 stomachs collected (94 males and 129 females) empty stomachs represented only 1.4%. Nine prey categories were identified: Polychaeta, Copepoda, Cumacea, Isopoda, Gammaridea, Dendrobranchiata, Brachyura, Teleostei, and one non-animal category (nonidentifiable items). Crustaceans were the most important item, indicating that the species has a carcinophagic preference. The presence of fish was just verified in juveniles and some adult individuals, with predominance in summer. Sex, maturity stage and seasonality did not influence the feeding habits of the species.RÉSUMÉ: Les habitudes alimentaires de Rioraja agassizi on été analysées dans le sud-ouest du Brésil, tout au long de la côte de l’État de São Paulo. Au total, 258 exemplaires ont été examinés, leurs tailles variant entre 96 et 532 mm de longueur totale. Les femelles ont représenté 57,85% de l’échantillon, conduisant à un sex-ratio secondaire de 1 : 1,37 en leur faveur. Sur 223 estomacs recueillis (94 mâles et 129 femelles) ceux qui étaient vides représentaient seulement 1,4%. Neuf catégories de proies ont été identifiées: Polychaeta, Copepoda, Cumacea, Isopoda, Gammaridea, Dendrobranchiata, Brachyura, Teleostei, et des restes inorganiques (items non identifiables). Les crustacés sont la proie la plus importante, indiquant une préférence carcinophage pour cette espèce. La présence de poissons a été vérifiée seulement dans les estomacs de juvéniles avec une prédominance durant les mois d’été. Aucune influence des variables “sexe”, “maturité” et “saison” sur les habitudes alimentaires n’a été détectée

Sharks and Rays from the Azores : An Illustrated Catalogue

Não é um livro definitivo, nem tem essa pretensão. Foi elaborado para que possa ser utilizado por pesquisadores, professores universitários, estudantes de biologia, oceanografia, pescas, mergulhadores, pescadores e demais pessoas ligadas ao mar bem para todos aqueles que simpatizam com a vida marinha e gostariam de saber mais sobre estes magníficos animais. As informações aqui apresentadas são tiradas da experiência prática dos autores no estudo destes “peixes” e, principalmente, na literatura produzida por muitos investigadores de alto gabarito espalhados pelo mundo fora, especialmente os colegas europeus, com especial referência aos portugueses. São apresentadas as características diagnosticantes para identificação das ordens, famílias, géneros e espécies de tubarões, raias e quimeras dos Açores. Para cada espécie aqui tratada é apresentada uma ilustração básica, o nome científico, os nomes comuns mais utilizados nos Açores e em língua inglesa. São dadas informações das características morfológicas, sempre que possível acrescentando comentários taxonómicos para complementar a informação e auxiliar o leitor na tarefa de determinar a espécie. Além destes dados, há informações básicas sobre a sua biologia (alimentação e reprodução), distribuição geográfica, habitat, tamanho máximo atingido, pescas e estatuto de conservação da espécie. Observações são sempre acrescentadas ao final de cada espécie, para incluir dados mais regionais, comportamento e, principalmente, descrições comparativas com outras espécies ainda não registadas nos Açores, mas cuja ocorrência não é totalmente impossível. No final, uma abrangente lista de trabalhos científicos e livros os quais, além de terem sido importantes na construção deste trabalho, também oferecem ao leitor grande volume de informações complementares quando houver interesse no aprofundamento de muitos dos tópicos aqui abordados. Procurou-se incluir aqui os principais livros sobre biologia básica de Chondrichthyes, também importantes guias para identificação desses animais na região do Atlântico Norte oriental e Mediterrâneo e finalmente, listar grande parte dos trabalhos científicos produzidos em Portugal. Pranchas coloridas com fotografias das principais espécies dos Açores complementam a informação visual.ABSTRACT: It is, by no means, a definitive book nor do we have such a pretension. It was written to be used by researchers, university professors, teachers, students of marine biology, oceanography, fisheries as well as divers, fishermen and all those who might be fond of the sea and would like to learn a little more about these magnificent animals. The information you are about to get come from the Professional experience of the authors and from the literature produced by many outstanding researchers from all over the World, especially from European colleagues, namely Portuguese. The main diagnostic characteristics for identifying orders, families, genera and species of Azorean sharks, rays and chimaeras are presented. For each species the reader will find an illustration, the scientific name as well as most used common names in the Azores and in English language. We also present information morphology with additional taxonomic details whenever useful and/or necessary in order to help the reader in identifying a given species. Basic information on the biology (feeding habits; reproduction), geographic distribution, habitat, maximum known size, fisheries and conservation status are also given. Ending the text on each species there is an “Observations” entry in order to include more regional data, behaviour and especially comparative descriptions with other species not yet recorded for the Azores but whose eventual appearance must not be discarded. At references chapter, the reader will find a state of art chapter on some of the most important scientific papers and books which, having been consulted to fulfil this work, may also offer a great volume of additional information. We tried to include here the main books on the basic biology of Chondrichthyes and also important identification field guides for the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean and, finally, to list the majority of the scientific papers produced in Portugal. Colour plates with photos of the main Azorean species complement visual information.CITA-A; GBA; DC

Further notes on the capture of a Carcharhinus leucas, in a northeastern Atlantic oceanic insular shelf, the Azores archipelago, Portugal

Copyright © 2006 Société Française d’Ichtyologie.In March 1993, a specimen of Carcharhinus leucas was captured by fishermen on the south coast of Te rceira Island, the Azores Archipelago. Its head was recovered and its jaws were preserved. This is the first capture of this species on an oceanic insular shelf in the Atlantic. The distribution of C. leucas in this ocean is commented.RÉSUMÉ: Note complémentaire sur la capture de Carcharhinus leucas (Carcharhinidae) dans une île océanique de l’Atlantique nord-est, l’archipel des Açores, Portugal. En mars 1993, un spécimen de Carcharhinus leucas a été capturé par des pêcheurs sur la côte sud de l’île Terceira dans l’archipel desAçores. Sa tête a été récupérée et ses mâchoires préservées. Il s’agit de la première capture de cette espèce sur une plateforme océanique de l’Atlantique. La distribution de C. leucas dans cet océan est commentée

Further notes on the capture of a Carcharhinus leucas in a northeastern Atlantic oceanic insular shelf, the Azores Archipelago, Portugal

In March 1993, a specimen of Carcharhinus leucas was captured by fishermen on the south coast of Terceira Island, the Azores Archipelago. Its head was recovered and its jaws were preserved. This is the first capture of this species on an oceanic insular shelf in the Atlantic. The distribution of C. leucas in this ocean is commented

Shark Attacks and Shark Diving Reply

It is with great astonishment and concern that I read the letter to the editor by Barreiros et al1 in which the authors report an attack by a blue shark on a spear fisherman in the Azores. Whereas the first part of the article accurately details the circumstances of the accident, Barreiros et al, in the second part, devise a far-fetched and illegitimate connection with shark diving, in particular with shark feeding

An Unprovoked Attack by a Blue Shark Prionace glauca (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhinidae) on a Spear Fisherman in Terceira Island, Azores, Northeast Atlantic

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Science Ltd.The blue shark, Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758), is a large predatory oceanic-epipelagic species with worldwide distribution that is usually harmless to humans. However, its inquisitive behavior when facing divers in open waters and a moderately powerful set of jaws and teeth can inflict severe injuries, reasons for this shark to be regarded with caution in some shark-human interaction scenarios. There are at least 13 recorded unprovoked attacks imputed to this species to date (eg, http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/species3.htm). […]

Scyliorhinus ugoi, a new species of catshark from Brazil (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae)

Soares, Karla D. A., Gadig, Otto F. B., Gomes, Ulisses L. (2015): Scyliorhinus ugoi, a new species of catshark from Brazil (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae). Zootaxa 3937 (2): 347-361, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3937.2.