Pygmy shark (Euprotomicrus bispinatus)

Scientific name: Euprotomicrus bispinatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1824

Pygmy shark (Euprotomicrus bispinatus)

The Pygmy shark (Euprotomicrus bispinatus) is a marine fish of the family Dalatiidae.

Biology

Epi-, meso-, and perhaps bathypelagic at 1->400 m. Occurs at or near the surface at night, descending to below 400 m (possibly as deep as 1,800 m) during the day. Feeds on squid, bony fishes, and crustaceans. Ovoviviparous, with 8 young per litter, size at birth between 6 and 10 cm. Caught with dip-nets and buckets at night.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Euprotomicrus bispinatus
Family
Dalatiidae (Sleeper sharks)
Order
Squaliformes (Bramble, Sleeper and Dogfish sharks)
Class
Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length
22.0
Depth range
0–1800 m (0–5906 ft)
Environment
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 0 - 1800 m
Climate
Deep-water
Distribution
Circumglobal: In subtropical to temperate waters. Southeast Atlantic: near Ascension Island, east of Fernando de Noronha Island, and west of Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Indian Ocean: Madagascar to Western Australia. North Pacific: Midway Islands, Hawaiian Islands to off California, USA. South Pacific: between New Zealand, Phoenix Island and southern Chile.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=8)

Sources

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

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