1990 Volume 37 Issue 3 Pages 273-291
An analysis of the reproductive biology of the frilled shark, Chlamydoselachus anguineus, was made on the basis of a collection of 264 specimens from Suruga Bay, Japan. This species is caught mainly from December to July. Almost all specimens were mature. The frilled shark appears to segregate by size and reproductive stage. Males mature below 1, 100mm total length (TL), while females reach sexual maturity between 1, 400 and 1, 500mm TL. Males have active testes throughout the year. Females do not have a defined reproductive season. Ova emerge through each ovulation pore on the ovarian epithelium at a size of 230-250g, and only enter the right oviduct. Ovarian eggs do not continue to develop during gestation. Egg capsules are shed when embryos reach between 60 and 80mm TL. Young are born at a size of about 550mm TL and 380g body weight. Litter size ranges from 2 to 10, with a mean of 6. Late stage embryos may receive nutrients from the mother. The intervals of ovulation seem to be about two weeks. The ovulation season in each female extends over a few months. The early embryonic development is slow. The gestation period appears to last at least three and a half years. The encapsulated embryos maintained in artificial conditions grow at a rate of between 10 and 17mm per month for a period up to 134 days.
