The Company of Biologists

Table 1.

Shark red muscle (RM) body position, quantities and allometry based on data from the present study and Carey et al.(1985)

Species (common name)	RM position	Ref.	Body mass (kg)	Fork length (cm)	N	RM cross-sectional area at 50% FL (cm²)	RM mass (% of body mass)	RM scaling^{^*}
Prionace glauca (blue shark)	PL	a	2.1	69		0.69	1.05
			12.0	123		5.46	2.70
			18.6	141		8.82	3.52
			22.2	150		8.81	3.31
					4		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.65±0.56	0.007M^1.51±0.18r²=0.99
Triakis semifasciata (leopard shark)	PL	a	1.34	52		0.66	1.72
			1.44	65		0.75	2.38
			15.0	118		5.12	2.09
					3		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.06±0.19	0.020M^1.02±1.51r²=0.99
Isurus paucus (longfin mako)	AC	b	—	—	—	—	∼2
Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako)	AC	a	5.3	77		3.19	1.80
			8.6	89		6.71	1.88
			14.0	110		7.26	1.85
			14.3	113		10.06	2.32
			16.6	115		10.05	2.14
			20.6	125		9.55	2.10
			25.8	138		11.42	1.79
			49.9	164		18.42	2.20
					8		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.01±0.07	0.017M^1.07±0.13r²=0.98
		b	5	80^†		4.28	2.14^‡
			19	123^†		10.83	2.19^‡
			25	134^†		15.90	2.67^‡
			33	146^†		14.83	2.06^‡
			52	169^†		18.20	1.86^‡
			53	170^†		17.03	1.72^‡
			75	189^†		22.52	1.79^‡
					7		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.06±0.12	0.027M^0.91±0.16r²=0.98
Carcharodon carcharias (white shark)	AC	b	23.6	115^§		6.8	∼3
			227	235^§		54.2	∼3
			297	256^§		88.3	∼3
			1256	405^§		267.0	∼6
					4			0.016M^1.15±0.44r²=0.98
Lamna ditropis (salmon shark)	AC	a	15.9	105		12.91	2.38
			148	201		36.53	1.80
					2		Mean (range) 2.09 (1.8−2.4)	0.034M^0.88
Lamna nasus (porbeagle shark)	AC	b	—	—	1	—	∼2	—
Alopias vulpinus (common thresher)	AC	a	4.5	85		5.61	2.02
			20.9	105		8.82	1.98
			24.9	120		13.40	2.83
			34.9	124		12.91	1.96
			37.2	123		15.31	2.11
			70.4	163		35.13	3.14
					6		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.34±0.21	0.013M^1.16±0.35r²=0.96

Species (common name)	RM position	Ref.	Body mass (kg)	Fork length (cm)	N	RM cross-sectional area at 50% FL (cm²)	RM mass (% of body mass)	RM scaling^{^*}
Prionace glauca (blue shark)	PL	a	2.1	69		0.69	1.05
			12.0	123		5.46	2.70
			18.6	141		8.82	3.52
			22.2	150		8.81	3.31
					4		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.65±0.56	0.007M^1.51±0.18r²=0.99
Triakis semifasciata (leopard shark)	PL	a	1.34	52		0.66	1.72
			1.44	65		0.75	2.38
			15.0	118		5.12	2.09
					3		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.06±0.19	0.020M^1.02±1.51r²=0.99
Isurus paucus (longfin mako)	AC	b	—	—	—	—	∼2
Isurus oxyrinchus (shortfin mako)	AC	a	5.3	77		3.19	1.80
			8.6	89		6.71	1.88
			14.0	110		7.26	1.85
			14.3	113		10.06	2.32
			16.6	115		10.05	2.14
			20.6	125		9.55	2.10
			25.8	138		11.42	1.79
			49.9	164		18.42	2.20
					8		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.01±0.07	0.017M^1.07±0.13r²=0.98
		b	5	80^†		4.28	2.14^‡
			19	123^†		10.83	2.19^‡
			25	134^†		15.90	2.67^‡
			33	146^†		14.83	2.06^‡
			52	169^†		18.20	1.86^‡
			53	170^†		17.03	1.72^‡
			75	189^†		22.52	1.79^‡
					7		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.06±0.12	0.027M^0.91±0.16r²=0.98
Carcharodon carcharias (white shark)	AC	b	23.6	115^§		6.8	∼3
			227	235^§		54.2	∼3
			297	256^§		88.3	∼3
			1256	405^§		267.0	∼6
					4			0.016M^1.15±0.44r²=0.98
Lamna ditropis (salmon shark)	AC	a	15.9	105		12.91	2.38
			148	201		36.53	1.80
					2		Mean (range) 2.09 (1.8−2.4)	0.034M^0.88
Lamna nasus (porbeagle shark)	AC	b	—	—	1	—	∼2	—
Alopias vulpinus (common thresher)	AC	a	4.5	85		5.61	2.02
			20.9	105		8.82	1.98
			24.9	120		13.40	2.83
			34.9	124		12.91	1.96
			37.2	123		15.31	2.11
			70.4	163		35.13	3.14
					6		Mean ± s.e.m. 2.34±0.21	0.013M^1.16±0.35r²=0.96

Abbreviations: a, present study; b, Carey et al.(1985); AC, anterior and central; PL, posterior and lateral.

Scaling equation: aM^b±95%C.I, where ais a constant, M is mass (kg) and b is the scaling coefficient.

Fork length estimated from Kohler et al.(1994).

Red muscle mass values estimated by using the RM longitudinal distribution analysis in Fig. 1.

Fork length estimated from Mollet and Cailliet(1996).