Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Squatiniformes (Angel sharks) >
Squatinidae (Angel sharks)
Etymology: Squatina: Latin for skate, which angel sharks superficially resemble, presumably tautonymous with Squalus squatina Linnaeus 1758 (no species mentioned) (See ETYFish); varii: In honor of Richard P. Vari (1949-2016), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C., USA), for his “outstanding” contributions to Neotropical ichthyology (See ETYFish).
Eponymy: Dr Richard Peter Vari (1949–2016) was a curator of fish at the Smithsonian. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 195 - 666 m (Ref. 114945). Tropical
Southwestern Atlantic: Brazil.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 101.5, range 95 - 108 cm
Max length : 124 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 114945); 132.0 cm TL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
This species is distinguished from all western Atlantic congeners (except S. david) by the following characters: a higher number of vertebral centra, 138-150 (vs. 132-136 in argentina; 128-136 in guggenheim; 127-136 in occulta; 130-135 in dumeril; 121 in Squatina sp. NW1); differs from all southwestern Atlantic species and S. david in their dorsal coloration, with very few (<20) or no white circular spots (vs. dorsal surface of the skin having hundreds of white spots in argentina, occulta, david, guggenheim) (Ref. 117896).
Cross section: other (see remarks).
Occurs along continental slope (Ref. 114945).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Vaz, D.F.B. and M.R. De Carvalho, 2018. New species of Squatina (Squatiniformes: Squatinidae) from Brazil, with comments on the taxonomy of Angel sharks from the Central and Northwestern Atlantic. Copeia 106(1):144-160. (Ref. 117896)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00676 (0.00295 - 0.01551), b=3.07 (2.88 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.1 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Very high vulnerability (79 of 100).
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