Quantum shell effects are known to affect the formation of fragments in nuclear fission. Shell effects also affect quasi-fission reactions occurring in heavy-ion collisions. Systematic time-dependent Hartree-Fock simulations of 50Ca+176Yb collisions show that the mass equilibration between the fragments in quasi-fission is stopped when they reach similar properties to those in the asymmetric fission mode of the 226Th compound nucleus. Similar shell effects are then expected to determine the final repartition of nucleons between the nascent fragments in both mechanisms. Future experimental studies that could test these observations are discussed.

8 pages, 4 figures, 1 table