Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes
(Ground sharks) > Carcharhinidae
Etymology: Rhizoprionodon: Greek, rhiza = root + Greek, prion = saw + Greek, odous = teeth (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; depth range ? - 300 m (Ref. 75154). Tropical; 8°S - 28°S
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 45 - ? cm
Max length : 69.1 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9161); max. reported age: 7 years (Ref. 9161)
Western Pacific: off Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.
A little-known shark (Ref. 9997) found on the continental shelf from close inshore to a depth of at least 110 m (Ref. 6871). Feeds mainly on fishes, but also takes cephalopods and crustaceans (Ref. 6871). Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Caught frequently by inshore demersal gillnet fisheries off Papua, but rarely elsewhere. Utilized for its fins and meat (Ref.58048). Too small to be of any commercial importance (Ref. 6871).
Viviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta (Ref. 9997) and 1-10 pups after a gestation period of 11-12 months; born at ~ 25 cm TL; very rapid growth (Ref.58048). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).
Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5078 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00537 (0.00244 - 0.01183), b=3.09 (2.91 - 3.27), based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)Family-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 4.5 ±0.0 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=1.01-1.34; tm=1; tmax=7; Fec=1-8).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100) .