Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Multiple paternity (MP) has been widely documented in elasmobranch fishes (sharks, rays, and skates); however, the frequency of multiple paternity (FMP; the percentage of sampled litters having multiple sires) varies greatly between and within species. Understanding the reasons for this inter- and intraspecific variation in FMP may be key to understanding why females mate with multiple males. For the Tope (Galeorhinus galeus), one previous study detected multiple paternity in two out of five litters sampled from New Zealand (FMP = 40.0%), an unexpectedly low FMP given this species' reproductive biology and ecology. To further test the hypothesis of low FMP in G. galeus, we expanded on previous work by genotyping an additional ten litters sampled from central South Australia, Australia (mean litter size = 32.6 ± 7.8 pups) as well as ten litters sampled from southern California, USA (mean litter size = 30.9 ± 8.5 pups). Multiple paternity was detected in four of the ten litters sampled from Australia (FMP = 40.0%) and two of the ten litters sampled from California (FMP = 20.0%). Our results support the hypothesis that MP occurs at a relatively low frequency in G. galeus, as compared to other elasmobranch species.
Source: Ichthyology & Herpetology
DOI: 10.1643/i2025002
Institutions: University of San Diego, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Primary Industries, The University of Adelaide, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australian National Fish Collection, Point Loma Nazarene University, California State University, Northridge, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4413289567