W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 2017 Age, Growth and Reproduction of Western North Atlantic Butterfly Rays (Myliobatiformes: Gymnuridae), with the Description of Two New Species Kristene Teal Parsons College of William and Mary - Virginia Institute of Marine Science, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, Biology Commons, Marine Biology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Parsons, Kristene Teal, "Age, Growth and Reproduction of Western North Atlantic Butterfly Rays (Myliobatiformes: Gymnuridae), with the Description of Two New Species" (2017). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1516639565. http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/V58T7S This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Age, Growth and Reproduction of Western North Atlantic Butterfly Rays (Myliobatiformes: Gymnuridae), with the Description of Two New Species A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Marine Science The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Kristene Teal Parsons August 2017 APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Kristene Teal Parsons Approved by the Committee, May 2017 Robert J. Latour, Ph.D. Committee Chair / Advisor Eric J. Hilton, Ph.D. Jan R. McDowell, Ph.D. Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Ph.D. Charles F. Cotton, Ph.D. Coastal and Marine Laboratory, Florida State University St. Teresa, Florida DEDICATION To my parents, D.J. Parsons, P.J. Parsons, and T.A. Crowley, for their constant encouragement and decades of nurturing my interests in elasmobranch fishes, and to S.H. Gruber and J.F. Morrissey for their mentorship, guidance, and support of my academic pursuits. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 2 Background ................................................................................................................................. 2 Dissertation Rationale and Summary .......................................................................................... 5 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2 – AGE AND GROWTH ASSESSMENT OF WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC SPINY BUTTERFLY RAY GYMNURA ALTAVELA (L. 1758) USING COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF VERTEBRAL CENTRA ........................................................................... 14 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... 15 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 16 MATERIALS AND METHODS ................................................................................................... 19 Sample collection and HRXCT analysis ................................................................................... 19 Statistical analyses .................................................................................................................... 21 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................... 24 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................ 26 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................. 33 TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ 44 FIGURES ....................................................................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER 3 – ASPECTS OF REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY IN THE SPINY BUTTERFLY RAY (GYMNURA ALTAVELA) AND SMOOTH BUTTERFLY RAY (GYMNURA MICRURA) FROM THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC AND GULF OF MEXICO ABSTRACT .......... 55 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... 56 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 57 MATERIALS AND METHODS ................................................................................................... 60 Specimen collection ................................................................................................................. 60 Statistical analyses ................................................................................................................... 62 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................... 64 Gymnura altavela ...................................................................................................................... 65 Gymnura micrura – western North Atlantic ............................................................................. 68 iv Gymnura micrura – Gulf of Mexico ......................................................................................... 71 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................ 72 Gonad development ................................................................................................................... 72 Maximum size and size-at-maturity ........................................................................................... 73 Reproductive periodicity ............................................................................................................ 75 Fecundity and embryonic development ..................................................................................... 79 Management and conservation implications .............................................................................. 80 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................. 85 TABLES ........................................................................................................................................ 94 FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................... 102 CHAPTER 4 – MORPHOLOGICAL AND GENETIC ANALYSES OF GYMNURA MICRURA (MYLIOBATIFORMES: GYMNURIDAE) FROM THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN REVEAL TWO NEW SPECIES OF BUTTERFLY RAY ........................................... 112 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. 113 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 115 MATERIALS AND METHODS ................................................................................................. 118 Terminology and abbreviations .............................................................................................. 118 Morphometric analysis ............................................................................................................ 119 Molecular analysis .................................................................................................................. 120 Comparative material ................................................................................................................... 122 Morphometric analysis................................................................................................................. 125 Molecular analysis ....................................................................................................................... 126 SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT ........................................................................................................ 127 Gymnura micrura ................................................................................................................... 127 Gymnura sp. nov. A ................................................................................................................ 134 Gymnura sp. nov. B ................................................................................................................ 140 Key to species of western Atlantic