Shark virgin birth produces multiple, viable offspring.
Facultative automictic parthenogenesis has only recently been confirmed in the most ancient jawed vertebrates, the chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, batoids, and chimeras). To date, however, in both documented cases, the females have only produced a single parthenogen offspring, and none of these have lived for more than 3 days. We present a genetically verified case of automictic parthenogenesis by a white-spotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum), in which at least 2 parthenogens were produced and survived for 5 years or more. These findings demonstrate that some female sharks are capable of producing, multiple, viable offspring through parthenogenesis.
Feldheim
Kevin A
KA
Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution, The Field Museum, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA. kfeldheim@fieldmuseum.org
Chapman
Demian D
DD
Sweet
Doug
D
Fitzpatrick
Seán
S
Prodöhl
Paulo A
PA
Shivji
Mahmood S
MS
Snowden
Bob
B
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006720:Homozygote; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D010312:Parthenogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012754:Sharks / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*