Description: A medium-sized deepwater shark, with a relatively slender body, very long snout and elongated labial furrows that encircle the mouth. Small spines on both dorsal fins; no anal fin. Moderately large lateral trunk denticles. Uniformly brown in colour.
Global Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Iceland along Atlantic slope to Namibia (including Madeira). Indian Ocean; Western Pacific; Southeast Pacific. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Size at birth 28-35 cm (total length). Maximum length 130 cm (TL).
Reproduction: Ovoviviparous, with 4-8 young per litter.
Maturity: range 82 - ? cm
Behavioural ecology:
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 230 - 1500 m.
Habitat: Bathydemersal. Found on continental and insular slopes, on or near the bottom.
Feeding habits: Feeds mainly on fish and cephalopods.
Trophic level: FishBase: 4.2
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Minor commercial species. By-catch of the longline black scabbardfish fishery in Madeira.
Conservation status: Global: Least concern.
Europe: Least concern.
Nutritional information & food safety:
Proximate composition per 100 g:
energy value 105.8 kcal (5.3% DRV)
protein 23.5 g (47.0% DRV)
fat 0.6 g (0.9% DRV)
Health warning: high in mercury.
REFERENCES
Brennan M.H., Gormley T.R. (1999). The Quality of Under-utilised Deep-water Fish Species. The National Food Centre Research Report No. 22. The National Food Centre, Dublin, Ireland, 22 pp.
Ebert D.A., Stehmann M.F.W. (2013). Sharks, batoids, and chimaeras of the North Atlantic. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes, No. 7. FAO, Rome, 523 pp.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
Rosa A., Menezes G., Melo O., Pinho M.R. (2006). Weight–length relationships of 33 demersal fish species from Azores archipelago. Fisheries Research, 80(2): 329-332.
