In situ observations of a possible skate nursery off the western Antarctic Peninsula

M O Amsler; K E Smith; J B McClintock; H Singh; S Thatje; S C Vos; C J Brothers; A Brown; D Ellis; J Anderson; R B Aronson

doi:10.1111/jfb.12679

In situ observations of a possible skate nursery off the western Antarctic Peninsula

J Fish Biol. 2015 Jun;86(6):1867-72. doi: 10.1111/jfb.12679. Epub 2015 Apr 20.

Authors

M O Amsler¹, K E Smith², J B McClintock¹, H Singh³, S Thatje⁴, S C Vos², C J Brothers¹, A Brown⁴, D Ellis², J Anderson⁵, R B Aronson²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, U.S.A.
² Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Boulevard, Melbourne, FL 32901, U.S.A.
³ Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, U.S.A.
⁴ Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, European Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, U.K.
⁵ Nature Imagery, under contract to Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, U.S.A.

PMID: 25898908
DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12679

Abstract

A dense aggregation of skate egg cases was imaged during a photographic survey of the sea floor along the western Antarctic Peninsula in November 2013. Egg cases were noted in a narrow band between 394 and 443 m depth. Although some skate species in other oceans are known to utilize restricted areas to deposit eggs in great numbers, such nurseries have not been described in the Southern Ocean.

Keywords: Antarctica; Elasmobranchii; Rajidae; oviparity; skate egg case.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antarctic Regions
Ecosystem*
Oceans and Seas
Oviposition*
Ovum
Skates, Fish*