Squalus acanthias Linnaeus, 1758

Piked dogfish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Elasmobranchii \| Squaliformes \| Squalidae
Synonyms	Squalus acanthias acanthias, Acanthias americanus, Acanthias commun, ... more
Common names	... more

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Image of Squalus acanthias (Piked dogfish)

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AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. (Ref. 247)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 160 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 247); 120 cm TL (female); common length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. ); max. published weight: 9,100 g (Ref. 11389); max. reported age: 75 years (Ref. 39247)

Length at first maturity

L_m 0.05, range 59 - 110 cm

Environment

Benthopelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 1460 m (Ref. 26346), usually ? - 200 m (Ref. 9253)

Climate / Range

Temperate; 7°C - 15°C (Ref. 247); 73°N - 55°S, 180°W - 180°E

Western Atlantic: Greenland to Argentina. Eastern Atlantic: Iceland and Murmansk Coast (Russia) to South Africa, including the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Western Pacific: Bering Sea to New Zealand. Reports from off New Guinea are doubtful (Ref. 6871). Eastern Pacific: Bering Sea to Chile.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 2; Anal spines: 0. This moderately sized species is distinguished by the following set of characters: very slender body, abdomen width 7.2-9.2% TL; narrow head, width at mouth 7.9-10.2% TL; mouth width 1.7-2.2 times its horizontal prenarial length; moderately long snout, preoral length 2.2-2.5 times horizontal prenarial length, 8.5-9.8% TL; single-lobed anterior nasal flap; small dorsal fins, raked, first dorsal-fin height 1.1-1.3 times its inner margin length, second dorsal-fin height 0.7-0.9 times its inner margin length; origin of first dorsal-fin located just posterior to pectoral-fin free rear tips; exposed bases of dorsal-fin spines relatively narrow, 0.4-0.7% TL; short spine of first dorsal fin, exposed length 1.7-2.7% TL; pectoral-fin anterior margin 1.9-3.1 times its inner margin length; preventral caudal margin 1.9-2.6 times inner margin of pelvic fin; pale caudal fin with poorly demarcated, whitish margin, blackish caudal blotch at the apex of upper lobe, anterior margins of both lobes whitish in juveniles; dark caudal bar absent; dorsal and lateral surfaces of body bluish grey with an irregular array of moderately-large white spots; flank denticles tricuspid; monospondylous centra 41-45, precaudal centra 74-79, total centra 100-105 (Ref. 58446).

Possibly the most abundant living shark (Ref. 247). An inshore and offshore dogfish of the continental and insular shelf and upper slopes (Ref. 247, 11230). Usually near the bottom, but also in midwater and at the surface (Ref. 26346). Often found in enclosed bays and estuaries (Ref. 247). Reported to enter freshwater (Ref. 11980) but cannot survive there for more than a few hours (Ref. 247). Schools mainly segregated by size and sex; mixed schools also reported (Ref. 247). Growth is slow. At sexual maturity, males are 60-70 cm long, females 75-90 cm (Ref. 35388). Gestation period is 2 years (Ref. 36731). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205), with 1 to 20 young in a litter (Ref. 247). The only species of horned sharks that can inflict toxins with its tail. Utilized for human consumption, liver oil, vitamins, sand paper, leather, fertilizer, etc. (Ref. 247, 27436). Eaten fried, broiled, and baked (Ref. 9988).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd+3bd+4bd)	Venomous (Ref. 4690)

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)

PD₅₀ = 0.5000

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (rm=0.034; K=0.03-0.07; tm=10-30; tmax=75; Fec=1)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Very high vulnerability (88 of 100)	Medium

Entered by Carpenter, Kent E.

Modified by Bailly, Nicolas

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