Geographical variability in life-history traits of a midslope dogfish: The brier shark Deania calcea

Abstract

Deania calcea (n = 420) were collected from the catch of deep-water trawlers in the southern and eastern scalefish and shark fishery in southern Australia during the years 2008-2011. The total length (LT) range varied between sexes, females being larger (n = 264; 280-1530 mm) than males (n = 156; 310-921 mm). The reproductive cycle in this population is non-continuous and asynchronous. The estimated LT at which 50% of males are mature is 807 mm and is 914 mm for females. Populations of D. calcea in higher latitudes appear to mature at a larger size than conspecifics in lower latitudes, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Litters ranged from three to 10 embryos with a 1:1 sex ratio..