Regional variation in multiple paternity in the brown smooth‐hound shark Mustelus henlei from the northeastern Pacific

• Published in: Journal of fish biology Vol. 100; no. 6; pp. 1399 - 1406
• Main Authors: Rendón‐Herrera, J. Juan, Pérez‐Jiménez, Juan Carlos, Saavedra‐Sotelo, Nancy C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2022; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Embryos; Females; Marine fishes; multiple paternity; Mustelus henlei; Paternity; paternity analysis; polyandry; Probability theory; Regional variations; reproductive behaviour; shark; Sharks; sireship skew; Statistical models; Variation; paternity analysis; shark; sireship skew; polyandry; reproductive behaviour; multiple paternity
• ISSN: 0022-1112; 1095-8649
• DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15050

Multiple paternity (MP) in the brown smooth‐hound shark (Mustelus henlei) was assessed in 15 litters (15 mothers and 97 embryos) collected in the northern Gulf of California of which 86.7% were sired by more than one male (i.e., from 2 to 4 sires). When taken together with results from previous studies, this record indicates that there is regional variation in MP in M. henlei in the northeastern Pacific. This pattern is associated with variations in the reproductive traits of each population (e.g., female size and litter size). In the Gulf of California, the results of a generalized linear model (GLZ) indicated that the litters of larger females had a higher probability of MP compared to those of smaller females.