Dwarf lantern shark

Dwarf lantern shark
	Dwarf lantern shark ( Etmopterus perryi )
Systematics
without rank:	Sharks (selachii)
Superordinate :	Squalomorphii
Order :	Spiny dogfish (Squaliformes)
Family :	Lantern Sharks (Etmopteridae)
Genre :	Etmopterus
Type :	Dwarf lantern shark
Scientific name
	Etmopterus perryi
	Springer & Burgess , 1985

The dwarf lantern shark ( Etmopterus perryi ) is a species of the genus Etmopterus within the lantern sharks (Etmopterinae; also classified as the family Etmopteridae). With a body length of only 16 to 20 centimeters and a weight of 150 grams, it is considered the smallest known species of shark, alongside the cylindrical lantern shark ( E. carteri ) . The range of this species includes only individual marine areas on the coast of Colombia in the Caribbean .

Appearance and characteristics

The dwarf lantern shark is a very small shark with a known body length of 16 to 20 centimeters and a body weight of 150 grams. It has an elongated body typical of the lantern sharks with a long and at the same time wide and flattened head. The body color is brown on the top and merges into a black pattern on the belly. The caudal fin ends on its upper lobe in a black tip, on the lower lobe there is a dark band. He also has the luminous organs typical of the lantern sharks , which are dark markings on the belly.

It has no anal fin and two dorsal fins with the order-typical spines in front of the dorsal fins. The first dorsal fin begins behind the end of the pectoral fins and is about the same size as the second dorsal fin. Like all species in the family, the animals have five gill slits and an injection hole behind the eye.

distribution

Distribution area of the dwarf lantern shark

The range of this species only includes individual deep-sea marine areas on the coast of Colombia in the Caribbean . Here he is known from depths of 283 to 439 meters.

Way of life

The dwarf lantern shark lives near the coast above the continental shelf and occurs at depths of 283 to 439 meters. Like other sharks, it feeds in a predatory manner, likely on smaller fish and invertebrates. There are no data or observations about his way of life.

Like other species of the order, it is viviparous; further information on reproduction is missing.

Danger

The dwarf lantern shark is not listed on the IUCN Red List . However, it is of no importance as a food fish and is therefore not fished specifically.

literature

Leonard Compagno , Marc Dando, Sarah Fowler: Princeton Field Guides: Sharks of the World . Princeton University Press , Princeton and Oxford 2005, ISBN 978-0-691-12072-0 , pp. 103 .

Web links

Commons : Pygmy Lantern Shark ( Etmopterus perryi ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Dwarf Lantern Shark on Fishbase.org (English)

Etmopterus perryi inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Leandro, L., 2006. Retrieved September 2, 2013.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b Etmopteridae .: Lantern sharks. In: Compagno et al. 2004; Page 90
^ Alfred Goldschmid: Chondrichthyes. In: W. Westheide, R. Rieger: Special Zoology. Part 2: vertebrates or skulls. Spektrum, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-8274-0307-3 , p. 199.
↑ Compagno et al. 2004
↑ ^a ^b Etmopterus perryi (Dwarf Lanternshark). Retrieved October 15, 2018 .

[Compagno_Etmopteridae-1] Etmopteridae .: Lantern sharks. In: Compagno et al. 2004; Page 90

[2] Alfred Goldschmid: Chondrichthyes. In: W. Westheide, R. Rieger: Special Zoology. Part 2: vertebrates or skulls. Spektrum, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-8274-0307-3 , p. 199.

[3] Compagno et al. 2004

[:0-4] Etmopterus perryi (Dwarf Lanternshark). Retrieved October 15, 2018 .