Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Squaliformes (Bramble, sleeper and dogfish sharks) > Somniosidae (Sleeper sharks)
Etymology: Centroscymnus: Greek, kentron = sting + Greek, skymnos, -ou = pup, puppy (Ref. 45335); owstonii: Named for Alan Owston (1853-1915) a business- and yachtsman from England, who collected Asian wildlife, particularly in the early twentieth century (cited in Ref. 112350).. More on author: Garman.

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 100 - 1500 m (Ref. 26346). Deep-water, preferred 25°C (Ref. 107945); 35°N - 41°S, 82°W - 177°W

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

Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Western Indian Ocean: from off the Seychelles to the Madagascar Ridge and South Africa. Eastern Indian Ocean off Indonesia and southwestern Australia. Southwestern Pacific: off Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Northwestern Pacific: off Japan and from the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain. Southeastern Pacific: west of Chile. Southwestern Atlantic: off French Guiana, Brazil, and Uruguay. Northwestern Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico. Eastern Atlantic: from off the Azores in the North to off South Africa in the south.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ?, range 100 - 104 cm
Max length : 121 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26346)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 0. Dark brown or black in color, dorsal fins with extreme tips of fin spines protruding from the fins, moderately long snout, lanceolate upper teeth and bladelike lower teeth with short, oblique cusps, fairly stocky body that does not taper abruptly from pectoral region, large lateral trunk denticles with mostly smooth, circular, cuspidate and acuspidate crowns in adults and subadults (Ref. 247).

Found on upper continental slopes, on or near the bottom (Ref. 247). Feeds on fish and cephalopods (Ref. 6871). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205), with 16- 28 young born at 27-30 cm (Ref. 26346). Caught in trawls or longlines set at depths greater than 400 m (Ref. 55584). Flesh is high in mercury (Ref. 6871). Utilized as fishmeal and source of squalene (liver oil) (Ref. 6871). Maximum depth from Ref. 55584.

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

Ovoviviparous (Ref. 6871). 16- 28 young born at 27-30 cm (Ref. 26346). 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. 115185)

Least Concern (LC)

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Poisonous to eat (Ref. 6871)

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial

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Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805): PD₅₀ = 0.5313 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00398 (0.00179 - 0.00885), b=3.17 (2.97 - 3.37), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278): 4.5 ±0.62 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec=16-28).

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): High vulnerability (64 of 100) .

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Centroscymnus owstonii Garman, 1906