Longnose Pygmy Shark
Heteroscymnoides marleyi
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Sharks and rays
The longnose pygmy shark is a rare species of squaliform shark in the family Dalatiidae and the only member its genus. It is known only from a handful of specimens collected from the cold oceanic waters of the Southern Hemisphere, between the surface and a depth of 502 m (1,647 ft). Reaching 37 cm (15 in) in length, this diminutive shark is characterized by a slender, dark brown body with a very long, bulbous snout. In addition, it has two spineless dorsal fins of nearly equal size, with the origin of the first lying over the pectoral fin bases. The longnose pygmy shark does not appear substantially threatened by fisheries, and has been assessed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Classification
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Order
- Squaliformes
- Family
- Dalatiidae
- Genus
- Heteroscymnoides