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Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Heterodontiformes (Bullhead and horn sharks) > Heterodontidae (Bullhead, horn, or Port Jackson sharks)
Etymology: Heterodontus: heteros (Gr.), different; odontos (Gr.), tooth, referring to pointy teeth (for clutching prey) at front of jaws, different than rounded molar-like teeth (for grinding hard-shelled invertebrates) at the back (See ETYFish); mexicanus: -anus (L.), belonging to: Mexico, referring to its distribution in the Gulf of California along the Mexican coast to at least Oaxaca (and perhaps to Peru) (See ETYFish).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 50 m (Ref. 54547). Tropical; 31°N - 18°S, 115°W - 80°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Pacific: Mexico and from Costa Rica to Colombia, probably Ecuador and Peru (Ref. 43278)

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 170 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 96339)

Found on littoral continental waters, on rocky and sandy areas from close inshore down to at least 20 m depth. Reported to reach 165 cm (Ref. 37955). Feeds on crabs and demersal fishes including midshipman (Porichthtys) (Ref. 43278). Oviparous (Ref. 37955). Utilized as fishmeal.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1 - Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/1):1-249. Rome, FAO. (Ref. 247)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 07 February 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Traumatogenic

Human uses

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries

FAO - Fisheries: species profile; Publication: search | FishSource |

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Trophic ecology
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Ecology
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Length-weight rel.
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Anatomy
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 20.6 - 26.9, mean 23.2 °C (based on 30 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5059 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00380 (0.00165 - 0.00876), b=3.15 (2.95 - 3.35), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.2 ±0.73 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Heterodontus mexicanus Taylor & Castro-Aguirre, 1972