Heteroscymnoides marleyi (Longnose pygmy shark)

Fowler, 1934

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Chondrichthyes > Elasmobranchii > Squalomorphii > Squaliformes > Dalatiidae

Heteroscymnoides marleyi (Longnose pygmy shark) [Illustration by Ann Hecht ©]

Identification

A tiny cylindrical, black, oceanic shark with a bulbous, moderately long snout, large round eyes, tiny, equal-sized gill slits, no dorsal spines, 1st dorsal fin much smaller than 2nd and behind pectoral fins, and paddle-shaped caudal fin. Fins conspicuously light-edged; underside has rings of luminous organs surrounding the small flat denticles.

Size

To 27 cm TL.

Range

Open ocean west of Cape Town and off Port Shepstone, Natal; otherwise widespread in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Habitat

Oceanic in temperate and subtropical waters, found over water 1829 to 9938 m deep. Often at or near the surface at night, thought to descend to below 300 m and at least 1500 m down, perhaps to the ocean floor.

Biology

Bears 8 young. Feeds on deep-water squid, bony fish, and crustaceans.

Human Impact

None.

Text by Leonard J.V. Compagno, David A. Ebert and Malcolm J. Smale