Japanese sawshark (Pristiophorus japonicus)

Scientific name: Pristiophorus japonicus G?nther, 1870

Japanese sawshark (Pristiophorus japonicus)

The Japanese sawshark (Pristiophorus japonicus) is a marine fish of the family Istiophoridae. Native range: Northwest Pacific, Japan, Korea, northern China. Does not occur in the Western Central Pacific.

Biology

Pristiophorus japonicus has a long, narrow, and narrowly tapering rostrum (rostrum length is 26-29% of TL), distance from rostral tip to barbels about equal or slightly greater than distance from barbels to mouth (1:1.1-1.2); distance from rostral barbels to nostrils about equal to distance from nostrils to 1st gill slits. About 15-26 large rostral teeth on each side of the rostrum in front of the barbels, 9-17+ behind them; distance from mouth to nostrils 1.1-1.2 times internarial space. Tooth rows 34-58 in upper jaw. Dorsal and pectoral fins covered with denticles in large specimens. Lateral trunk denticles largely unicuspidate. First dorsal fin origin behind free rear tips of pectorals by eye length or more. Caudal fin almost straight, with slender upper and lower lobes; pectoral well developed but are not ray-like.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Pristiophorus japonicus
Family
Istiophoridae (Billfishes)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
136
Depth range
0–500 m (0–1640 ft)
Environment
Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 500 m
Climate
Deep-water
Distribution
Northwest Pacific: Japan, Korea, northern China. Does not occur in the Western Central Pacific.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Data deficient (DD)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec=12)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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