Biology of the ornate angel shark (Squatina tergocellata) from the Great Australian Bight

Ornate angel sharks were sampled from commercial catches from the Great Aus tralian Eight trawl fishery during the period from February 1992 to Februar y 1993. Size structure, reproduction and diet were studied. Both sexes exhi bited similar length-weight relationships. Morphological data indicate that the most accurate conversion to total length OZ) would be obtained from th e distance between the granular ocelli on the trunk near the pectoral fins. Males reached sexual maturity at a TL of 810-910 mm, females at 1150-1250 mm. The male:female ratio was 1:3 for the post partum population and 1:1 fo r embryos. Both ovaries were functional throughout the year, but the left o vary contained more ovarian follicles than the right. Follicle diameters ra nged from 1 to 68 mm; the largest follicle was found during autumn, before ovulation, the smallest during spring, after ovulation. Eighteen near-term embryos from four females were observed during January and February 1993. T he number of young per female ranged from 2 to 9. It appears that S. tergoc ellata has a minimum gestation period of 6-12 months and parturition may oc cur biennially. The most common stomach contents were squid (Notodarus goul di and fish (mainly Monacanthidae).