Classification / Names
Common names from other countries
Main reference
Size / Weight / Age
Max length : 42.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 48844); 56.0 cm TL (female)
Length at first maturity
Lm ?, range 38 - 44 cm
Environment
Marine; bathypelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 3700 m (Ref. 55584), usually 0 - 1000 m (Ref. 89423)
Climate / Range
Deep-water, preferred ?; 35°N - 40°S, 180°W - 180°E
Distribution
Western Atlantic: Bahamas and southern Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Cape Verde, Guinea to Sierra Leone, southern Angola and South Africa, including Ascension Island. Indo-Pacific: Mauritius to New Guinea, Lord Howe Island, and New Zealand (Ref. 26346), north to Japan and east to the Hawaiian Islands. Eastern Pacific: Easter Island (Ref. 9068) and the Galapagos.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions
Short description
Dorsal
spines
(total): 0;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 0;
Anal
spines: 0;
Anal
soft rays: 0;
Vertebrae: 81 - 89. The cookiecutter shark Isistius brasiliensis is distinctive for the prominent dark collar marking around its throat, large nearly symmetrical caudal fin with a long ventral lobe over 2/3 length of dorsal caudal margin, and moderately large lower teeth in 25-32 rows. Eyes set anterior of head but sufficiently far back to lack an extensive anterior binocular field. Pectoral fins subquadrate; pelvic fins larger than dorsal fins (Ref.247). Tooth count: 30-37/25-31. Vertebral count: 81-89. Spiral valve count: 8-10 (Ref. 48844). Dark brown dorsally, paler ventrally except for blackish band across throat; tips of caudal lobe blackish (Ref. 6577). As with the other member of the genus Isistius , it has a characteristic small cigar-shaped body with two small close-set spineless dorsal fins far posterior on back, no anal fin, huge, triangular-cusped teeth without blades, short, bulbous snout and a unique suctorial lips (Ref. 247).
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
More information
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index
PD50 = 0.7520 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)
Trophic Level
4.3 ±0.3 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec = 6)
Vulnerability
Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100)
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