Common Name
Longnose Pygmy Shark
Year Described
Fowler, 1934
Identification
Teeth: 22 upper, 23 lower. Upper teeth slender and erect. Lower teeth larger and triangular.
Body elongate and slightly tapering posteriorly. Head large. Snout very long (longer than mouth-gill distance and >3X eye diameter) and conical. Nostrils at tip of snout. Mouth as wide as head with upper labial furrows, post-oral grooves, and thin pleated lips. Eyes large. Five gill slits short and of equal size. Two dorsal fins well spaced. First dorsal fin rounded and inserted above rear of pectoral fin. Second dorsal fin much larger than first dorsal fin. Pectoral fin small and squared off. Pelvic fin well posterior (slightly anterior to D2 origin) and smaller than second dorsal. Anal fin absent. Caudal fin with distinct subterminal notch and and pronounced lower lobe. Skin rough. Denticles tiny.
Color
Body uniformly brown with a darker belly. Fins dark with edges white.
Size
Specimens range from 33-37cm TL.
Habitat
Epipelagic from 1-502m over much deeper water. Likely a vertical migrator.
Range
Known from six specimens from the sub-Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere. Known from seamounts in the southeastern Atlantic and southeastern Pacific but not yet known from the southwestern Atlantic. Likely to be found around rises and seamounts off Argentina and S. Brazil.
References
Ebert, D. A., Dando, M., & S. Fowler. 2021. Sharks of the World. Princeton University Press. 607 pp.