Australia country information

Common names: Elphin shark, Goblin shark
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Collected off New South Wales and eastern Bass Strait (Ref. 6871). Possibly occurring in South Australia (Ref. 6871). Also Ref. 7300.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.csiro.au/
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Last, P.R. and J.D. Stevens, 1994
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Requin lutin, Tiburón duende, Elfin shark, ... more

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

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Lamniformes (Mackerel sharks) > Mitsukurinidae (Goblin shark)
Etymology: Mitsukurina: -ina (L.), belonging to: University of Tokyo zoologist Kakichi Mitsukuri (1858-1909), who placed holotype (provided by Alan Owson, see species) of this “very remarkable shark” in Jordan’s “hands to be identified, figured, and described”. (See ETYFish); owstoni: In honor of Alan Owston (1853-1915), English businessman, yachtsman, collector of Asian wildlife, and resident of Yokohama, Japan, who secured holotype from a fisherman (named for Owston at the request of Kakichi Mitsukuri, see genus). (See ETYFish).
More on author: Jordan.

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

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 30 - 1300 m (Ref. 43278), usually 270 - 960 m (Ref. 43278). Deep-water; 48°N - 55°S, 180°W - 180°E

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

Western Atlantic: Guyana (Ref. 6871), Suriname (Ref. 13608, 11228) and French Guiana. Eastern Atlantic: France (Bay of Biscay), Madeira, Portugal, and South Africa. Western Indian Ocean: off South Africa. Western Pacific: Japan, Australia (South Australia, New South Wales), New Zealand (Ref. 26346). Eastern Pacific: USA (southern California) (Ref. 43278).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 293.0, range 264 - 322 cm
Max length : 617 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 83323); common length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. Flat, bladelike, elongated snout, tiny eyes without nictitating eyelids, soft, flabby body, slender, very long cusped teeth in long, protrusible jaws, long caudal fin without a ventral lobe (Ref. 247). Pinkish-white with bluish fins, becoming brownish grey after death (Ref. 5578, 11228).

Found on outer continental shelves and upper slopes, but rarely in shallow water close inshore (Ref. 247, 43278). Jaws are highly specialized for rapid projection from the head to snap up small animals (Ref. 247). Feeds on jacopever, pelagic octopus and crabs (Ref. 5578). Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother (Ref. 50449). Probably slow-moving and neutrally buoyant (Ref. 6871). Utilized dried salted (Ref. 247)

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

Exhibit ovoviparity (aplacental viviparity), with embryos feeding on other ova produced by the mother (oophagy) after the yolk sac is absorbed (Ref. 247, 50449). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

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 1 - Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/1):1-249. Rome, FAO. (Ref. 247)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

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

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless (Ref. 6871)

Human uses

FAO(Fisheries: species profile; publication : search) | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 3.8 - 13.7, mean 8.3 (based on 1037 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 1.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm Total Length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.1 ±0.62 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec assumed to be <10).

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

Mitsukurina owstoni Jordan, 1898