The Pleurotremate Elasmobranchs from the Languedoc coast (Southern France): biological and demographic observations

Twenty-four pleurotremate elasmobranch species are recorded from the Langue doc coast. Biological and demographic observations on 15 species are presen ted in this paper. The biological observations essentially concern size at birth, size at sexual maturity, maximal size and, wherever possible, reprod uctive cycle and fecundity. A single species is regularly and abundantly ca ptured: the smallspotted catshark, Scyliorhinus canicula. Two other species are relatively common, namely the blackmouth catshark, Galeus melastomus, and the velvet belly, Etmopterus spinax. A constant decrease of species hav ing a commercial value is observed, particularly Mustelus spp, and Squalus spp. The other species are occasionally captured, e.g. the great migratory sharks and the deep-sea squalids.