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The bluntnose sixgill shark, Hexanchus griseus, is a relatively common, wide-spread and deepwater shark that occurs along outer continental shelves and upper slopes. However, very little information exists about its distribution patterns, migrations and behavior. Data on occurrence and behavior of sixgill sharks inhabiting waters north of Spain (Galicia and Cantabrian Sea, NE Atlantic) were obtained from yearly oceanographic trawl surveys, commercial fishing boat records, and a pop-up satellite archival tag that was deployed for 75 days on a juvenile specimen. Most of the specimens were caught in Galician waters, and nearly all of those from surveys were juveniles (length range, 60–121 cm). Catch depth from surveys and commercial vessels ranged from 90 to 800 m and 90 to 1750 m respectively. Combining all data, a moderate relationship was observed between catch depth and size of the sharks (). The sex ratio was 1:1.86 in favor of females. September and February were the months with more catches reported from commercial vessels. Data obtained from one electronic pop-up tag (Mini PAT), provided information about depth and temperature preferences over 75 days. Mean depth obtained during that period was 913 m (depth range 727–1247 m), and the mean temperature was 10.3 °C, (range 8.0–10.8 ° C). Movements up and down in the water column within a single day ranged from 50 to 385 m. No cyclic diel vertical migration was however observed, the shark moved smoothly without a defined pattern. Vertical movements at semidiurnal frequency were intermittently observed. The thereby differences observed in the swimming behavior of H. griseus compared to other areas could be attributed to size, foraging activity or atypical behavior., Sí

By combining an examination of stomach contents yielding a snapshot of the most recent trophic niche and the structure of parasite communities reflecting a long-term feeding niche, this study aimed at gaining more comprehensive information on the role of the small-sized deep-water velvet belly lantern shark Etmopterus spinax in the local food webs of the Galicia Bank and the canyon and valley system of the Avilés Canyon, which have been both proposed for inclusion in the Natura 2000 network of protected areas. As far as is known, this study provides the first comparative parasite infracommunity data for a deep-sea shark species. Component parasite communities in E. spinax were relatively rich, whereas the infracommunities were rather depauperate, with similar low diversity at both localities. The significant differences in the composition and structure of both parasite communities and prey assemblages indicate differential effects of the two deep-sea ecosystems on both long-term and most recent trophic niches of E. spinax. These results underline the importance of the use of multivariate analyses for the assessment of geographical variation in shark populations based on parasites and diet data., SI

At present, information on the reproductive physiology of Centroscymnus coelolepis, which is one of most important and widespread deep-sea shark species, is completely lacking. In this study, we investigated vitellogenesis, a key step in the reproduction biology of fishes. Specimens of C. coelolepis were collected at 2850 m depth in the Western Mediterranean Sea. The size of the collected sharks (range: 35.5–65.0 cm TL) was much lower than those typically reported for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The marked distinctiveness of Mediterranean and Atlantic/Pacific populations was reflected by the achievement of sexual maturity at a smaller size in Mediterranean specimens. The examination of cytoplasmatic components of oocytes indicated that vitellogenin uptake in the ovary started when oocytes reached 14 mm in diameter. Only reproductive females displayed a significant relationship between plasmatic vitellogenin and gonadal development, suggesting that vitellogenesis in C. coelolepis is a discontinuous pr...

Catarino, Diana ... et. al.-- 19 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables, data accessibility http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ss368, supporting information http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.13453, Knowledge of the mechanisms limiting connectivity and gene flow in deep-sea ecosystems is scarce, especially for deep-sea sharks. The Portuguese dogfish (Centroscymnus coelolepis) is a globally distributed and near threatened deep-sea shark. C. coelolepis population structure was studied using 11 nuclear microsatellite markers and a 497-bp fragment from the mtDNA control region. High levels of genetic homogeneity across the Atlantic (Φ = -0.0091, F = 0.0024, P > 0.05) were found suggesting one large population unit at this basin. The low levels of genetic divergence between Atlantic and Australia (Φ = 0.0744, P < 0.01; F = 0.0015, P > 0.05) further suggested that this species may be able to maintain some degree of genetic connectivity even across ocean basins. In contrast, sharks from the Mediterranean Sea exhibited marked genetic differentiation from all other localities studied (Φ = 0.3808, F = 0.1149, P < 0.001). This finding suggests that the shallow depth of the Strait of Gibraltar acts as a barrier to dispersal and that isolation and genetic drift may have had an important role shaping the Mediterranean shark population over time. Analyses of life history traits allowed the direct comparison among regions providing a complete characterization of this shark's populations. Sharks from the Mediterranean had markedly smaller adult body size and size at maturity compared to Atlantic and Pacific individuals. Together, these results suggest the existence of an isolated and unique population of C. coelolepis inhabiting the Mediterranean that most likely became separated from the Atlantic in the late Pleistocene, This study was performed under the framework of ReDEco (FP6 ERA-NET, MARIN-ERA/MAR/0003/2008) and Hermione (FP7-ENV-2008-1, nr 226354) projects. Samples were collected under other scientific projects: DEECON (ESF, 06-EuroDEEP-FP-008 & SFRH-EuroDEEP/0002/2007); CONDOR (EEA Grants, PT0040/2008); SMaRT (M.2.1.2/029/2011) and DEMERSAIS (Azorean Government); OASIS (FP5, EVK3-CT-2002-00073-OASIS); PescProf I (INTERREG III B, MAC/4.2/M12); BIOFUN (ESF, CTM2007-28739-E); DOS MARES (CTM2010-21810-C03-03); ADIOS (EVK3-CT-2000-00035). DC is a PhD student funded by FCT (SFRH/BD/65730/2009); HK is cofunded by the University of Agder and the University of Oslo (CEES); AV is a postdoctoral fellow funded by FCT (POPH/FSE; SFRH/BPD/77487/2011); DS is a postdoctoral fellow funded by the DIANET programme (FP1527385002); and SS is a research fellow supported by the Marie Curie grant cofunded by the EU under the FP7-People-2012-COFUND; Cofunding of Regional, National and International Programmes, GA n.600407 and the Bandiera Project RITMARE. MARE is funded by FCT through the strategic project UID/MAR/04292/2013

The present work attempted to study the importance of vision in Centroscymnuscoelolepis, the most abundant shark in the Mediterranean beyond a depthof 1000 m, by using anatomical and histological data. C.coelolepis exhibited large lateral eyes with a large pupil, spherical lens and a tapetum lucidum that gave the eye a strong greenish-golden “eye shine”. In the outer retinal layer, a uniform population of rod-like photoreceptors was observed while in the vitreal retina a thick inner plexiform layer comprised up to 30% of the whole retinal thickness. The cell distribution of the ganglion cell layer formed a thin elongated visual streak in the central plane of the eye that provided a horizontal panoramic field of view. A specialised area of higher visual acuity was located caudally at 32-44º from the geometric centre of the retina and 5-10º above the horizontal plane of the eye. This position indicated that the visual axis pointed in a slightly outward-forward direction with respect to the fish body axis. A non-uniform distribution of large ganglion cells was also found in the horizontal plane of the retina that practically coincided with the distribution of the total cell population in the ganglion cell layer. This is the first time that this type of retinal specialisation has been observed in the elasmobranchs. These characteristics indicate that the retina of C.coelolepis is designed not only to increase sensitivity in the horizontal field of view, as was also observed in other sharks, but also to improve motion detection in the same plane. The visual capacities evolved by C.coelolepis make this species adapted for discriminating the horizontal gradation of light that exists in the mesopelagic environment. Similarly, the large ganglion cell distribution observed in its retina seems to be related to its predatory behaviour, since it allows this shark to perceive the movement of bioluminescent prey against a totally dark background., El presente trabajo estudia la importancia de la visión en Centroscymnus coelolepis, el tiburón más abundante en el Mediterráneo por debajo de los 1000 m de profundidad, usando datos anatómicos e histológicos. C. coelolepis posee grandes ojos laterales, una pupila muy ancha, un cristalino esférico y un tapetum lucidum que confiere al ojo un fuerte brillo verde-dorado. En la capa externa de la retina, se observa una población uniforme de fotorreceptores parecidos a los bastones, mientras en la capa interna el estrato plexiforme interno es grueso, ocupando hasta el 30% del entero grosor de la retina. La distribución de las células en la capa ganglionar forma una sutil franja horizontal alargada en correspondencia del plano central del ojo que permite al animal una visión panorámica horizontal. Caudalmente se localizó una área especializada de mejor agudeza visual a 32-44º desde el centro geométrico de la retina y 5-10º por encima del plano horizontal del ojo. Esta posición indica que el eje visual está dirigido hacia afuera y hacia adelante respecto el eje mediano del cuerpo. En el plano horizontal de la retina se observó también una distribución no uniforme de células ganglionares grandes que prácticamente coinciden con la distribución de todas las células en la capa ganglionar. Esta es la primera vez que se observa este tipo de especialización en la retina de un elasmobranquio. Todas estas características indican que la retina de C. coelolepis está diseñada no solo para incrementar la sensibilidad visual en el plano horizontal, como se ha observado también en otros tiburones, sino también para aumentar la detección del movimiento en el mismo plano. Las capacidades visuales con que ha evolucionado C. coelolepis hacen que esta especie esté adaptada para discriminar la gradación horizontal de luz que existe en el medio mesopelágico. Así mismo, la distribución de las células ganglionares grandes observadas en su retina parece estar relacionada con su comportamiento predador permitiendo al tiburón percibir el movimiento de sus presas bioluminescentes contra un fondo totalmente oscuro.