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Growth, reproduction, and age at maturity of Lessa’s butterfly ray Gymnura lessae in the northern Gulf of Mexico

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Abstract

In the northern Gulf of Mexico, batoids are caught as bycatch in the shrimp trawl fishery and targeted by recreational bowfishers. The vulnerability of these batoid species to overexploitation is primarily dictated by their life history strategies. Lessa’s butterfly ray, Gymnura lessae, is a sexually dimorphic piscivorous batoid ranging from the northern Caribbean Sea to Massachusetts. Species in the family Gymnuridae have small, poorly mineralized centra; as a result, age and growth has only been described in one species, G. altavela. In this study, we examined size at maturity, reproduction, sex-specific growth (using Electronic Length Frequency Analysis), instantaneous natural mortality, and age at maturity of G. lessae in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Overall, 552 G. lessae were sampled from 2016 to 2018, of which 322 were male and 230 were female. Estimated disc width at 50% maturity was 340.0 mm and 461.4 mm for males and females, respectively. Sex-specific von Bertalanffy growth parameter estimates were DW∞ = 427.1 mm, k = 1.34 year−1, and t0 =  −0.35 years for males, and DW∞ = 882.2 mm, k = 0.40 year−1, and t0 =  −0.56 years for females. Instantaneous natural mortality was higher for males (1.48) than females (0.48). Most age-0 males (93.8%, n = 16) and 30.7% of age-0 females (n = 13) appeared to mature fast enough to mate just 1 year after birth. Our results indicate that G. lessae is fast growing, quick maturing, and relatively fecund in the northern Gulf of Mexico and is thus at low risk of overexploitation.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank everyone at Discovery Hall Programs and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab boat captains, especially J. Wittmann and T. Guoba, for their support and assistance with collecting G. lessae for this project. We would like to thank individuals at the University of South Alabama/Dauphin Island Sea Lab Fisheries Ecology Lab who helped with collecting and processing specimens. We would also like to thank A. Jefferson for providing helpful comments that substantially improved the manuscript and A. Anderson and D. McAree for their assistance in processing reproductive samples. The care and use of experimental animals complied with Alabama state animal welfare laws, guidelines, and policies as approved by the University of South Alabama under the IACUC protocols (IACUC Board Reference Number 974304). All efforts were taken to reduce animal suffering during handling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coastal Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, Biloxi, MS, USA

    Matthew B. Jargowsky & J. Marcus Drymon

  2. Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Ocean Springs, MS, USA

    Matthew B. Jargowsky & J. Marcus Drymon

  3. School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

    Bryan L. Huerta-Beltrán

  4. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA

    Matthew J. Ajemian

  5. Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Starkville, MS, USA

    Michael E. Colvin

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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by MBJ and BLH-B. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MBJ, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Matthew B. Jargowsky.

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The care and use of experimental animals complied with Alabama state animal welfare laws, guidelines, and policies as approved by the University of South Alabama under the IACUC protocols (IACUC Board Reference Number 974304). All efforts were taken to reduce animal suffering during handling.

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Jargowsky, M.B., Huerta-Beltrán, B.L., Ajemian, M.J. et al. Growth, reproduction, and age at maturity of Lessa’s butterfly ray Gymnura lessae in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Environ Biol Fish 105, 1237–1249 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01347-0

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