Hydrolagus novaezealandiae, Dark ghost shark : fisheries

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Hydrolagus novaezealandiae (Fowler, 1911)

Dark ghost shark
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Hydrolagus novaezealandiae   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Hydrolagus novaezealandiae (Dark ghost shark)
Hydrolagus novaezealandiae
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New Zealand territory information

Common names: Chimaera, Dark ghost shark, Ghost shark
Occurrence: endemic
Salinity: marine
Abundance: scarce (very unlikely) | Ref: Doonan, I.J., M. Dunn and A.C. Hart, 2009
Importance: minor commercial | Ref: Armitage, R.O., D.A. Payne, G.J. Lockley, H.M. Currie, R.L. Colban, B.G. Lamb and L.J. Paul (eds.), 1994
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Ranges from North Cape to the Campbell Plateau, Chatham Rise and Bounty Plateau (Ref. 89422). Fairly common off central and southern New Zealand but not Campbell Plateau (Ref. 9258). Recorded in the trawl survey in Chathams Island (Ref. 45493) and off the east coast of South Island (Ref. 58461). Recorded as scarce in the Northeastern and Eastern Chatham Rise (Ref. 87166). Taken as a bycatch (Ref. 9258). Sometimes marketed as pearl fillets (Ref. 9258). Exported to Japan. Voucher specimen(s) held at the NMNZ (Ref. 5755). Also Ref. 107024.
National Checklist:
Territory Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/nz.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.fish.govt.nz/
Occurrences: Occurrences | Point map
Main Ref: Cox, G. and M. Francis, 1997
National Database:

Common names from other territories

Ghost shark, Nyazeeländsk Havsmus, Spøgelseshaj, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Holocephali (chimaeras) > Chimaeriformes (Chimaeras) > Chimaeridae (Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes)
Etymology: Hydrolagus: hydro-, combining form of hydor (Gr.), water; lagos (Gr.), hare, i.e., “water rabbit,” probably referring to three pairs of tooth plates, which tend to protrude from the mouth like a rabbit’s incisors (See ETYFish); novaezealandiae: novus (L.), new, i.e., of New Zealand, in whose waters it occurs (See ETYFish).
More on author: Fowler.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 25 - 950 m (Ref. 26346), usually 100 - 600 m (Ref. 89422). Deep-water; 34°S - 47°S

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

Southwest Pacific: endemic to New Zealand.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 96.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26346); common length : 55.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9258)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 0. Dark grey dorsally, with silver-white markings, pale silver-grey ventrally (Ref. 26346).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Inhabits the outer continental shelf and upper slope (Ref. 26346). Feeds on crustaceans, shellfish, worms and small fish (Ref. 26346). Maximum length 87 cm without tail filament (Ref. 26346), assumed to have 96 cm TL. Marketed as fillets (Ref. 26346).

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

Oviparous, young hatch from egg case at about 9-12 cm (Ref. 26346).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Cox, G. and M. Francis, 1997. Sharks and rays of New Zealand. Canterbury Univ. Press, Univ. of Canterbury. 68 p. (Ref. 26346)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 20 June 2017

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial
FAO - Fisheries: landings search; Publication: search | FIRMS - Stock assessments | FishSource | Sea Around Us

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings search; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 8 - 13.7, mean 10.8 °C (based on 62 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00269 (0.00133 - 0.00547), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.46 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Assuming Fec <100).
Prior r = 0.28, 95% CL = 0.19 - 0.42, Based on 1 data-limited stock assessment.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High vulnerability (61 of 100). 🛈
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Very high vulnerability (76 of 100). 🛈
Price category (Ref. 80766):   High.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 11.4 [3.1, 38.0] mg/100g; Iron = 0.389 [0.134, 0.967] mg/100g; Protein = 15.9 [10.4, 19.0] %; Omega3 = 0.266 [0.100, 0.709] g/100g; Selenium = 18 [5, 59] μg/100g; VitaminA = 6.22 [1.30, 27.04] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.326 [0.172, 0.627] mg/100g (wet weight);