Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 7 - 100 m (Ref. 6871). Tropical, preferred ?; 34°N - 30°S
Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Indonesia, north to Japan, south to Australia.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 79 - 90 cm
Max length : 98.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 58048)
Dorsal
spines
(total): 0;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 0;
Anal
spines: 0;
Anal
soft rays: 0. A small, very slim shark with a long, narrow snout, big eyes with rear notches, short labial furrows, and small, oblique-cusped teeth with smooth edges; 2nd dorsal fin small, low and behind larger anal fin; interdorsal ridge rudimentary or absent (Ref. 5578). Grey above, pale below, fins with pale edges (transparent in life), caudal and first dorsal fins with narrow dark margin, first dorsal fin also with a dusky tip (Ref. 9997).
Found on continental and insular shelves; mainly near the bottom (Ref. 6871). Feeds on small bony fishes, shrimps and cuttlefish (Ref. 244). Viviparous (Ref. 50449); gives birth annually to litters of 2-4 pups (Ref.58048). Caught in artisanal and small scale commercial fisheries (Ref. 9997). Utilized fresh for human consumption (Ref. 244); meat and fins, but of limited value due to its small size (Ref.58048).
Viviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta; 2-4 pups per litter. Size at birth 40-43 cm; 54-55 cm TL (Ref.58048). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).
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 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
More information
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00479 (0.00222 - 0.01031), b=3.11 (2.93 - 3.29), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 4.0 ±0.4 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=2).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (46 of 100) .