Pelagic thresher (Alopias pelagicus)

Scientific name: Alopias pelagicus Nakamura, 1935

Pelagic thresher (Alopias pelagicus)

The Pelagic thresher (Alopias pelagicus) is a marine fish of the family Alopiidae.

Biology

Primarily an oceanic species but sometimes close inshore; neritic to oceanic, 0-152 m. Epipelagic. Mesopelagic in the tropics; may enter atoll lagoons. Stuns its prey with its tail, presumably feeding on small fishes and cephalopods. Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother. Sometimes caught by ski-boat anglers. Utilized for human consumption, liver oil for vitamin extraction, hides for leather, and fins for shark-fin soup. A very common catch in the tuna and shark longline, and tuna drift net fisheries. Maximum and common size of males estimated from discussion in. Adult females may reach at least 330 cm TL.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Alopias pelagicus
Family
Alopiidae (Thresher sharks)
Order
Lamniformes (Mackerel sharks)
Class
Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length
347
Common length
276
Depth range
0–300 m (0–984 ft)
Environment
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 300 m, usually 0 - 150 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Circumglobal. Indo-Pacific: Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Maldives, Somalia, South Africa, Western Australia, China, Taiwan, Japan, New Caledonia, Hawaiian Islands and Tahiti. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of California and the Galapagos. Reliable records lacking partly due to its confusion with Alopias vulpinus.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Vulnerable (VU) (A2d+4d)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=2; tm=7-9; tmax = 29)

Sources

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

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