Author: (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Diagnosis: slender, with narrow head and relatively long and pointed snout. Teeth with the large anterior cusp preceded by a few smaller ones. Gill-slits 7. Spineless dorsal fin quite far back, with base before that of anal fin; pectoral fins with concave posterior margin; caudal fin with moderate lower lobe. Colour: brown/grey with lighter belly, occasionally with blotches on flanks. Size: males to I m, females to 1.4 m TL.

Habitat: usually benthic (50-400 m, occasionally to 800 m), often near edge of shelf, in warmer waters. Claimed to be a voracious bottom dweller. Food: probably mainly fish (hake) and squid, also perhaps crustaceans. Reproduction: ovoviviparous, litters of about 9-20; about 26 cm at birth.

Distribution: Atlantic coasts north to beyond Bay of Biscay (rare), less rare in Mediterranean, but not in Black Sea. Elsewhere, probably world-wide in tropical and subtropical waters, but nowhere common.

Eggs, larvae and young stages. Lo Bianco, 1888: 428; 1899: 542; 1909: 672 Bigelow & Schroeder, 1948: 91, fig. 110.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Chondrichthyes
Superorder Pleurotremata
Family Hexanchidae
Genus Heptranchias
Species Heptranchias perlo

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Synonyms:

Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788)
Squalus Perlo Bonnaterre, 1788, Tabl. encycl. méth...., Ichth.: 10 ('la Méditerranée'). Type: unknown.
Squalus cinereus Gmelin, 1789, Syst. Nat. Linn., ed. XIII: 1497-1498 ('in mari mediterraneo'). Type: unknown.
Heptranchias cinereus: Rafinesque, 1810, Caratt. Gen. Spec. Sicil.: 13 (Sicily).
Heptanchus cinereus: Darracq in Moreau, 1881: 340 Soljan, 1948, Fauna Flora jadrana (1): 49, 346, 383, fig. (Engl. ed. 1963, Fish. Adriat. (Ribe Jadrana): 49, 347, 392, fig.).
Heptranchias perlo: Bigelow & Schroeder, 1948b: 88, fig. 10-11 Poll, 1951: 16, fig. 2-3, pl. 1 (fig. 1-2) Albuquerque, 1954-1956: 77, fig. 43-44. Tortonese, 1956: 97, fig. 49 Capapé, 1974a: 230 Belloc in Harambillet et al., 1976: 24 Quéro et al. ,1977: 231, fig. 1.

Common names:

Sharpnose seven-gill shark [En]
seven-gilled shark [En]
Requin perlon [Fr]
perlon [Fr]
Canabota bocadulce [Es]
bocadulce [Es]
carcharias [He]
pas volonja pepeljak [Hr]
squalo manzo [It]
shevazim [Iw]
olho branço [Pr]

Albuquerque, R. M. 1954-1956. Peixes de Portugal e ilhas adjacentes. Chavas para a sua determinação. Port. Acta biol., ser. B,5:xvi+1167 p., 445 fig.

Bigelow, H. B.; Schroeder, W. C. 1948b. Sharks. In: Fishes of the western north Atlantic. Mem. Sears Found. Mar. Res., New Haven, 1(1): 59-576, fig. 6-106.

Bonnaterre, J. P. 1788. Ichthyologie. Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la Nature, Paris: Ivi+215 p., pl. A-B+1-100.

Capapé, C. 1974a. Observations sur la sexualite, la reproduction et la fecondite de 16 Selaciens pleurotremes, ovipares, aplacentaires des cotes tunisiennes. Arch. Inst. Pasteur Tunis, 51: 229-256, 329-344.

Gmelin, J. F. 1789. Pisces in Caroli a Linné, Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Ed. XIII, 1(3) :1126-1516.

Harambillet, G., Percier, A.; Quero, J.C. 1976. Remarques sur la faune ichthyologique de la cote basque franqaise. Bull Cent. Etud. Rech. scient. Biarritz, 11 (1): 23-34.

Lo Bianco, S.1888. Notizie biologiche riguardanti specialmente il periodo di maturita sessuale degli animali del golfo di Napoli. Mitt. zool Stn Neapel, 8: 385 440.

Lo Bianco, S.1899. Notizie biologiche riguardanti specialmente il periodo di maturita sessuale degli animali del golfo di Napoli. Mitt. zool Stn Neapel, 13: 448-573.

Lo Bianco, S.1909. Notizie biologiche riguardanti specialmente il periodo di maturita sessuale degli animali del golfo di Napoli. Mitt. zool Stn Neapel, 19: 513-761.

Moreau, E.1881-91. Histoire naturelle des poissons de la France, Paris, I, 1881: I-VII+ 1-480, fig. 1-82; II, 1881:1-572, fig. 83-145; III, 1881:1-697, fig. 146-220; Suppl., 1891: 1-144, fig. 221-227.

Poll, M.1951. Poissons. I. Généralités. II. Sélaciens et Chiméres. Rés. Sci. Expéd. océanogr. belg. Eaux côt. afr. Atlant. Sud (1948-49J, 4 (1) :1-154, 66 fig., 13 pl.

Quéro, J.C.; Verron, R.; Cattin, Y. 1977. Observations ichthyologiques effectuees au port de La Rochelle en 1976. Ann. Soc. Sci Nat. Charente-Maritime, 6 (4): 230-244, fig. 1-5.

Rafinesque-Schmaltz, C. S. 1810a. Caratteri di alcuni nuovi generi e nuove specie di animali (principalmente di pesci) e piante della Sicilia, con varie osservazioni sopra i medisimi. Palermo, 105 p., 20 pl. (Reprint, 1967, Asher-Amsterdam.)

Soljan, T. 1948. Fauna i flora jadrana. 1. Ribe Inst. Oceanogr. Ribarst. Jugoslavia. Zagreb, Hrvatske, 437 p., 1350 fig.

Tortonese, E. 1956b. Leptocardia, Ciclostomata, Selachii. Fauna Ital., 2: 334 p., 163 fig.

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