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

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Squaliformes (Sleeper and dogfish sharks) > Somniosidae (Sleeper sharks)
Etymology: Somniosus: Latin for sleepy, reflecting Lesueur’s surmise that these sharks are slow or sluggish because of their relatively small fins (hence the name sleeper sharks). (See ETYFish); antarcticus: -icus (L.), belonging to: the Antarctic (Whitley presumed this to be the first shark recorded from there). (See ETYFish).
More on author: Whitley.

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

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 485 - 1150 m (Ref. 50224). Deep-water

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

South Indo-Pacific and South Atlantic.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 438 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 50224); 430.0 cm TL (female)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Vertebrae: 36 - 38. Somniosus antarcticus differs from S. pacificus by the following characters: interdorsal space about 80% of prebranchial length (vs. 70%); height of first dorsal fin about 3.0% of precaudal length (PCL) (vs. 3.7%); height of second dorsal fin about 2.9% of PCL (vs. 3.4%); number of turns in spiral valve 36-41 (mode 39) (vs. 32-37, mode 33); precaudal vertebrae 30-31 (mode 30) (vs. 28-30, mode 29) (Ref. 50224).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Yano, K., J.D. Stevens and L.J.V. Compagno, 2004. A review of the systematics of the sleeper shark genus Somniosus with redescriptions of Somniosus (Somniosus) antarcticus and Somniosus (Rhinoscymnus) longus (Squaliformes: Somniosidae). Ichthyol. Res. 51:360-373. (Ref. 50224)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 02 July 2017

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators

Ecology
Ecology

Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances

Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics

Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos

Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths

Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)

Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities

Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.

Outreach
Collaborators

Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures

References
References

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 1.7 - 5.8, mean 4 °C (based on 113 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5313 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00168 - 0.00901), b=3.13 (2.94 - 3.32), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.5 ±0.58 se; based on food items.

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).

Back to Search

Random Species

Somniosus antarcticus Whitley, 1939