Reproductive strategy of leafscale gulper shark Centrophorus squamosus and the Portuguese dogfish Centroscymnus coelolepis on the Portuguese continental slope

Recent data are presented on leafscale gulper shark Centrophorus squamosus and Portuguese dogfish Centroscymnus coelolepis collected during an extended sampling programme carried out at mainland Portuguese landing ports. Although there are some features common to all deep-water squaliform sharks, the two species have different reproductive strategies: C. squamosus has a lower fecundity and larger total length (L-T) at first maturity than C. coelolepis. Despite the scarcity of pregnant C. squamosus in the samples, the L-T at birth was estimated at c. 440 mm. For C. coelolepis the results suggest the existence of a non-annual reproductive cycle with two breeding seasons in each year. (c) 2008 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2008 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.