This paper estimates the relative frequency of different types of
core-collapse supernovae, in terms of the ratio f between the number of type
Ib--Ic and of type II supernovae. We estimate f independently for all normal
and Seyfert galaxies whose radial velocity is <=14000 km/s, and which had at
least one supernova event recorded in the Asiago catalogue from January 1986 to
August 2000. We find that the ratio f is approx. 0.23+/-0.05 in normal
galaxies. This value is consistent with constant star formation rate and with a
Salpeter Initial Mass Function and average binary rate approx. 50 %. On the
contrary, Seyfert galaxies exceed the ratio f in normal galaxies by a factor
approx. 4 at a confidence level >= 2 sigma. A caveat is that the numbers for
Seyferts are still small (6 type Ib-Ic and 6 type II supernovae discovered as
yet). Assumed real, this excess of type Ib and Ic with respect to type II
supernovae, may indicate a burst of star formation of young age (<= 20 Myr), a
high incidence of binary systems in the inner regions (r <= 0.4 R25) of Seyfert
galaxies, or a top-loaded mass function.Comment: Accepted for Publication in MNRA
