Deania calceus (Lowe, 1839)
Birdbeak dogfish
Deania calceus
photo by Gomez, R.

Family:  Centrophoridae (Gulper sharks)
Max. size:  127 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 8,700.0 g
Environment:  bathydemersal; marine; depth range 60 - 1490 m
Distribution:  East Atlantic: Iceland to South Africa. Indian Ocean: South Africa, southern Madagascar, southern Australia. Pacific Ocean: Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, southeast Australia, New Zealand, and Peru to Chile.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal spines (total): 2-2; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0-0; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 0-0. A longnose dogfish with a long, 1st dorsal fin and no subcaudal keel (Ref. 5578). Grey-brownish in color (Ref. 6577).
Biology:  Found on the outer continental and insular shelves and upper slopes (Ref. 247). Usually on or near the bottom but sometimes found well above it (Ref. 5578). Apparently in large schools (Ref. 5578). Feeds on pelagic bony fish, squid, octopus and shrimp (Ref. 5578). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Caught very rarely by demersal longline fisheries operating in deepwater of Indonesia. Utilized for its meat, fins (low value) and liver oil (very high value) (Ref. 58048).
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT); Date assessed: 21 November 2019 (A2bd) Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:   
 


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