| Family: |
Centrophoridae (Gulper sharks) |
| Max. size: |
76.5 cm TL (male/unsexed); 99 cm TL (female) |
| Environment: |
bathydemersal; marine; depth range 340 - 610 m |
| Distribution: |
Western Indian Ocean, Mozambique Channel (Madagascar and Mozambique), and off Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and Togo; Morocco, the Canary
Islands, and Ghana. |
| Diagnosis: |
This medium sized (<1 m maximum total length) species is distinguished by the following set of characters: body relatively slender; head moderately long, 21.4-26.4% TL; snout relatively short, its horizontal preorbital length 6.5-8.2% TL, rounded in dorsal view; first dorsal very long with base length 16.8-19.7% TL and soft fin length 16.0-17.4% TL, and high with height 6.5-7.8% TL, its inner margin relatively short, 5.7-7.4% TL, 2.3–2.9 in soft fin length; second dorsal fin much smaller in area to first, similar in height to first dorsal fin, its height 1.0-1.3 in first dorsal-fin height; pectoral fins are large, anterior margin length 11.9-13.4% TL, free rear tip elongate in larger individuals, 2.4-4.8% TL; lateral trunk denticles of larger individuals are sessile or not raised on pedicels, block-like, not elevated; upper teeth of larger individuals have erect to slightly oblique cusps; lower teeth of all sized specimens are much larger than upper teeth, strongly oblique, blade-like; total vertebral centra 119-122; teeth 33–42/29–31 (Ref. 116740). |
| Biology: |
Examined type specimens ranged in size from 31.7-95.0 cm TL, with the smallest free-swimming individual at 40.8 cm TL; a late-term embryo of 31.7 sm TL still with a small external yolk sac; an embryo of 39.5 cm TL from a pregnant female. A female of 86.3 cm TL was found to be mature and pregnant. Reported sizes of adult males 71.5-76.5 cm TL and adult females 89.0-99.0 cm TL (Ref. 116740). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Endangered (EN); Date assessed: 21 November 2019 (A2d) Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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