Reproductive biology of the eyespot skate Atlantoraja cyclophora (Elasmobranchii: Arhynchobatidae) an endemic species of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (34ºS - 42ºS)

ABSTRACT Atlantoraja cyclophora is an endemic skate to the continental shelf of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (22ºS-47ºS) and a by-catch species in commercial bottom trawl fisheries. The morphometric relationships, the size at maturity and the reproductive cycle of this species were analyzed, with samples collected between 34ºS and 42ºS. The size range was 190 to 674 mm total length (TL) for males and 135 to 709 mm TL for females. Sexual dimorphism between the relationships TL - disc width and TL - total weight was found, with females wider and heavier than males. The mean size at maturity for males was estimated in 530 mm TL and for females in 570 mm TL. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) in mature females varied seasonally and showed the highest value in December. The maximum follicular diameter and oviductal gland width did not show any seasonal pattern. Females with eggs in the uterus were present most of the year. The reproductive activity in males would be continuous throughout the year, evidenced by the lack of variation in the GSI between seasons. The results obtained suggest that A. cyclophora might undergo an annual reproductive cycle, in coincidence to that reported for this species in Brazilian populations.